Another's Arms
by QuanMarteze
Summary: Kai continues to pursue Bonnie after they are rescued from 1994, but to what end? Damon assumes it's to piss him off royally and unapologetic, but Bonnie thinks there's something more. As she rediscovers herself in the midst of her old life, in what arms will this journey lead her to?
1. Blank Space

The clock continued to move at its slow yet constant pace, though Bonnie glared at it. She was becoming restless and tired. Her hand would run through her soft hair, and give a little shake, or she'd tap her pen against the edge of her small desk. Anything that would speed up this agony. She sighed as her bottom lip moved a little to the side.

12:05. Ten minutes left of sociological torture. She regrets registering for these classes; taking a gander into something practical or realistic. It's not what she wanted to do, but felt it was something she needed to do.

She pulls on her earlobe, feeling a cold finger on her exposed shoulder. She turns around, startled.

"What?" Bonnie's voice was sharp, as if she had had enough. Enough of this class and this space that feels like it's enclosing on her. She turns her gaze to the windows behind the students. Past the guy who picked today to bother her.

"Jeez, I was just wondering if you had the notes from last lecture…" The guy said. Bonnie quickly threw a smile at him then shook her head.

"No. I just got back…" Bonnie turns back around, facing the professor. He's tying up the lecture. There is five minutes left. Bonnie feels relief, though the guy behind her continues to talk in a not surprisingly arrogant voice.

"Back from where?" The guy asked. Bonnie shifted her head, then she turned around and met his eyes, hers thinning out.

"Being dead," Bonnie swallowed. The guy's mouth itched a smirk, but it stopped. He realized she was serious. This is her first day back, and she doesn't really know how to process it. She removes her eyes from his, peering down at his beat up sneakers.

The students around her start packing up their things and heading for the door. 12:15. Class is finally over. It felt like a life time to her.

She puts her notebook into her bag and stands up, looking at the professor.

She takes her time down the steps. And as other busy students pass her by, she couldn't help but feel crowded. Everything around her felt so crowded.

She waited behind a student to talk to the professor. When they walked away, she walked up to the desk giving a smile.

"Hi, you probably don't remember me? I was wondering if there was a way I could get caught up before exams…" Bonnie asked. The professor was busy in his own manila folders, packing up himself to head to his next class.

"I mentioned the extra credit deadline last lecture," The professor said, putting his shoulder bag on.

"Like, I haven't been here the entire semester… I registered last year, but…" Bonnie bit her lips. She wanted to tell the truth so bad. "…I was on vacation."

The professor slows his movements, finally looking at Bonnie. He folds his arms. "How was the vacation?"

Bonnie looks down, folding her arms also, searching for something to say. The professor continued to pack up, and Bonnie looks behind her. There were no students waiting, and for some reason, that made her much better. She pursed her lips into a grin, thinking of the 'vacation'. The beginning moments, anyway.

"Well," Bonnie blinks several times, looking up at the ceiling. "It was really, really amazing and unpredictable."

"Who'd you go with?" The professor asked.

"A friend," Bonnie nodded. "He was annoying at first, and this was experienced on levels we had never dealt with before. But, after awhile, it was just…" Bonnie shakes her head, staring at the whiteboard behind the professor. She begins to smile. "It was peaceful."

Her mouth remains agape as the words leave her mouth.

"But, then, something tragic happened and… it feels like I never went," Bonnie shrugged. The professor did also.

"Guess that's life. Now, I can maybe help you. Just come to my office hours listed on the syllabus…" The professor told her.

Bonnie's eyes jump to the left, then back to him. "Yeah… I didn't get the syllabus either," Bonnie chuckles a bit, to hide her embarrassment. She looks behind her again and noticed the impatient faces on the students who just walked up.

"Here," The professor hands her the syllabus and she looks at it.

"Social psychology," Bonnie said. The professor's lips tighten as he nods his head.

"See ya tomorrow," Bonnie walks to the door after the professor tells her this. She reads over it as she walks into the bustling hallway.

"Professor Maximillian," She smirks, running into someone. "Oh!" Bonnie looks up to see Elena. "Elena."

Elena smiles and hugs Bonnie. "Hi Bonnie! How are you?"

"I'm good. I mean, it's been hard trying to get back into the swing of things but, I'm good," Bonnie said. She smiles, turning away and walking forward.

"Hey!" Elena said, catching up to her. "Where you going?" Elena chuckles. Bonnie opens her mouth, looking at Elena, but she says nothing. She only turns back forward and continues walking.

"I'm going back to the dorm. To sleep." Bonnie tells her. Elena rolls her eyes, skipping alongside of her.

They walk through the doors to the stairwell, walking in between other groups of students talking, and Bonnie realized something. Her and Elena haven't said much to each other since she was resurrected. This was the most they had talked.

"I'm sorry about you and Jeremy," Elena said out of nowhere and throwing Bonnie into a shock as they walked out of the building. Her eyes widened.

"What did you expect, Elena?" Bonnie said in a patronizing voice. She didn't mean it. It just… came out that way.

"I just know you loved him a lot." Elena said, staring at Bonnie. "Are you okay?" Bonnie nods, quickly.

"Look, Elena, I got to go," Bonnie said, and before Elena could get a word out, Bonnie was across the street. Elena sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

Hours passed. Bonnie opens her eyes, curled up under her blankets. She picks her phone up off the nightstand to see what time it was. 4:56.

She sighs, mad at herself for having slept almost four hours. Sitting up, she looks around the dorm. A tear begins to form on the underside of her eyelid and she blinks it out.

She smacks her teeth as it creates a steak down her face. "Why am I crying?" She said, wiping her left eye with one of her hands. She takes a deep breath and removes the covers, getting out of bed. She walks across the room when a knock comes at the door.

Startled, she says: "One second!" Bonnie was only in a wife beater stretching barely past her panties.

"It's Caroline," Caroline said from the other side of the door.

"Oh," Bonnie said while speedily moving towards the door. She opens the door, a big smile stretched across her face.

"Miss Bonnie!" Caroline exclaims, rushing in to give her a bear hug. They rock in each other's grasp, letting go soon after.

"Caroline!" Bonnie said, watching Caroline move past her.

"What are you doing?" Caroline said, walking to the center of the room, then spinning back around to Bonnie. "We are going out." Caroline tilts her head to Bonnie, matter-of-factly. Bonnie shakes her head.

"No…"

"Yes!" Caroline cuts her off. "Just us though, Elena didn't want to come… something about giving you some space?"

"Oh. Yeah, that." Bonnie sucks in her cheeks, preparing to come up with somewhat of answer as to why she and Elena weren't exactly getting along. Caroline had that face, and those eyebrows, that only meant she was going to find out.

"What is going on between you two? I mean, you JUST got back shouldn't we all be out celebrating the return of Bonnie Bennett?" Caroline asked.

"Something's off about her. And usually, I'd want to find out. But… I can't bring myself to care."

Caroline's expression shifted to mellow territory, as if she'd just found out life-changing news. She stared at the floor.

"Um." She clears her throat. "Well, um, I guess you don't know." Bonnie didn't look at Caroline. She meant it when she said that she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Elena erased her memories of Damon," Caroline said, walking up to Bonnie. Bonnie looked up, her breathing accelerating. Her eyes moved spontaneously as she thought about it.

"Oh my god," Bonnie let out. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. But it's what she wanted."

Bonnie folds her arms and walks back to her bed, sitting on it. She looks back at Caroline.

"I don't want to go into any details about it, Bonnie. If you want to know more just ask her." Caroline rolls her eyes. "Or Damon." She chuckles.

Bonnie joins her. "How's Damon?" Caroline's eyebrows raise once again.

"Well, he's Damon."

_Why does everybody say that?_ Bonnie thinks to herself.

"So, are we going?" Caroline asks. Bonnie nods and Caroline starts jumping with glee.

5:47. _Time is timeless_, Bonnie thought as Caroline returned with their drinks.

"I compelled the guy at the bar that we were old enough," Caroline said, sitting across from Bonnie.

"After everything we've been through? We are," Bonnie said. She picked up her glass and held it up. Caroline picked hers up and clicked against Bonnie's, and they drunk. Bonnie took a quick swig and brought the drink down, until she noticed Caroline still drinking, and she paused. Bonnie's brow furrowed at her.

"Since when, Care?" Bonnie asks. "Take it easy."

Caroline removes the empty glass from her lips and shakes her face, feeling jittery.

"Wooh! Another!" Caroline yells. Bonnie looks around at the many faces starting to look at them. She leans towards Caroline, urging her to quiet down. She just giggles and Bonnie can't help but do it too.

A couple of hours passed and they are sitting outside on a ledge. The drop isn't far though. Maybe if they were toddlers it'd be scary but, it's probably just to accentuate the scenery in the park. Bonnie's legs swing back and forth as she looks up at the red-orange sky.

"Sun is setting," Caroline mentioned. She leans back, her drink still lingering in her veins.

"Finally," Bonnie replies to her.

"I think we're getting old."

"What?" Bonnie's eyes thin, intrigued by what Caroline said. She almost laughs.

"I think we're getting old! Who drinks during the day unless they're old and withered?"

"Well, I know someone who does and… he's definitely not withered… old. But not withered."

Caroline cuts her eyes at Bonnie, with a slick smile stretched across her face. Bonnie doesn't look though. She can feel Caroline's eyes burning her cheek.

She does this often. Bonnie, not Caroline. Subtly and implicitly mention Damon. It helps her drag along these days.

Bonnie looks into the distance which is just a vast field leading to a forest. She tilts her head while staring at it. Home. A place she doesn't know if she wants to return to.

Moments later, Caroline pops up hearing footsteps from afar. Her mouth is open as she slowly looks around the area.

"Caroline, what's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"I heard someone…" Caroline's eyes glare with intent. "It's a vampire, we need to go!"

Caroline sprints to Bonnie, grabbing her hand, and when she turned around she saw the last person she looked forward to seeing. Stefan.

Caroline bit her lip and stared at the ground. "What're you doing here, Stefan?"

"Uh, looking for Bonnie," Stefan told her.

"Well, you found her," Caroline said with a hint of contempt. She looked at Bonnie. "I'll be back, when he's gone."

Caroline zoomed away, leaving Stefan with his hand raised. He drops his arm and sighs, looking at Bonnie. Bonnie met his eyes then quickly looked away into the distance, finding a comforting discomfort.

"What do you need from me?" Bonnie said, folding her arms as the wind blew.

"Just for you to listen. Thank you… for saving my brother, Bonnie. I don't know what I would've done without him."

"I know. Is that all?" Bonnie stares at him, biting the inside of her jaw. Bonnie didn't have nothing against Stefan. It's just his presence is almost a connotation for her getting wrapped up in bad scenarios, and Bonnie is tired. She's just tired.

"Yeah," Stefan nods, "And tell Caroline that what she's doing is just… childish at best." Then he zoomed away.

"Asshole," Bonnie blurts out to herself. She turns around, and starts walking. Caroline did say she'll be back, and Bonnie believed her, but there was one last place that she wanted to visit before she went home.

Bonnie walked delicately pass the gravestones stuck in the cemetery. It was eerie being back. The same ill, detached feeling she had that day still resonates within her now. It's like the cemeteries grounds consumed her last human feelings, and now that she's back they've returned right with her.

She continues to walk through the cemetery until she reaches her gravestone, which is oddly next to Damon's. She would have liked it to be next to the rest of the Bennett witches. A dead flower is resting on the place where her body would have been. She bends down and picks it up, putting it towards her nose to smell it. A white pedal falls from the stem and onto her death bed.

She hears a sniffle from afar and her eyes analyze the cemetery. Putting the flower back on top of her grave, she turns around to trace the noise. She marches through the cemetery, passing through a black, old gate.

A man appears to the left of her. She tenses up, balling her fist, and turning. Taking a deep breath, she smiles.

"Matt," Bonnie lifts her arms up in relief, letting them fall down to her sides. She walks up and hugs him, feeling his intensity. He had already been crying, and he buried Bonnie's head into his shoulders. And she let him, because if anybody needs a hug besides her, it's Matt Donovan.

"Hey," Matt said, stuttering. He couldn't control his tears and overwhelming emotion. "How are you?"

"No, Matt, how are YOU?" Bonnie asked him in a compassionate voice. If there is anything Bonnie isn't, it's not empathetic. She is the embodiment of it, and any one person can see that. Whether she hates you or loves you, she is willing to see your side of the pines. And now, she's found Matt at his most vulnerable and wants him to know she is here for him.

"I don't know, Bonnie, I just…" He licks his lips, trying to figure out how to convey this message to Bonnie. Though, he knows that she'll understand him either way. "I just hate them… the vampires!"

Bonnie's mouth opens a bit in surprise and she leans back subtly, staring curiously into his eyes.

"What'd they do?" Bonnie said softly.

Matt shrugs. "Everything. What don't they ruin, Bonnie? Mystic Falls. Friendships… Elena. Us. It's like I've become so desensitized to everything!" Matt steps back in fury from Bonnie and tries to contain his emotion. He puts his hands on his head, staring up at the sky. "AHHH!" Matt yells and kicks a gravestone, falling onto his back.

"Matt!" Bonnie runs over to him and crouches next to him. Her face draped with worry. "Matt, you'll be okay, alright?"

Matt grabs onto his foot because of its aching pain. "No!" He said through the pain. "I've become so desensitized, Bonnie! And it took not my sister, not my mother, but Tripp dying to make me realize this!"

"Realize what?"

"That vampires," Matt begins to say through trembling lips, "will be the death of me if I don't cleanse them from my life."

Bonnie knew Matt was sincere. And she agreed. She also agreed that there is a continuum. No vampire is JUST good or JUST bad. But complex, and it's their experiences that makes them who they are. Like Matt, he's a really good person, but has done things he will pay for. This could be his breaking point. His time to pay, and Bonnie can see that happening. It's definitely not something she would entirely enjoy.

"First, Matt we need to get this foot healed," Bonnie said jokingly, forcing Matt to laugh through his pain.

Matt is sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, exchanging a look with Bonnie. She is sitting on the window seal with her arms folded.

"Can you move it?" Bonnie asks. He tries to move it and his mouth stretches wide in pain.

"No," He said through exasperating breath. The doctor, Jo, walks in with a clipboard and x-rays of Matt's foot.

"So, what's the verdict?" Matt said when she walked in. Jo stared at Bonnie a bit, before speaking, and Bonnie looked away.

"Well, it seems you fractured your foot. How'd you do that anyway?" Jo asks him, glaring at him.

"I was a little mad and took my frustration out on a gravestone," Matt said while nodding his head. Jo chuckles in disbelief, turning her gaze to Bonnie.

"Is this true?" She asks Bonnie.

"Mhm."

Jo takes a deep breath, walking over to Matt to give him more details. Caroline walks in with three hot cocoas, sitting them on the bed. She picks one up for her then one for Bonnie.

Bonnie takes the hot cocoa and takes a sip. She notices Matt staring at Caroline, smugly.

Jo walks out of the room, leaving the three of them.

"How's your foot, Matt?" Caroline asks. He stares at the floor, his hands interlocked in between his legs. Bonnie looks over with dissatisfaction. "Well, good thing I was there to save you."

"Could you just leave?" Matt said to her bluntly.

"Matt!" Bonnie snaps at him.

"No, it's okay!" Caroline said. "I'll just leave." Caroline grabs her coat from off the bed and leaves the hospital room.

"I really don't know what to do, Bon," Matt said through the silence.

"Matt, believe what you will just… don't forget who your friends are." Matt swallowed, wanting to latch onto that advice. "You were at my funeral, right? Damon and I's?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, I was there."

"Do you know if our bodies were there, or?"

"They were. After the other side imploded, your bodies were… just lying there. Next to each other, hands interlocked and all."

Bonnie nods, remembering that moment, thinking it was her last.

Bonnie arrives back in her dorm, surprised that nobody was there. She takes off her leather jacket and pulls down her black lace dress, jumping into her bed to curl under the covers. She then kicks off her boots, setting the alarm clock on her phone.

9:58. Her phone beeps and she gets a notification. A voicemail. She clicks on it to call it.

"231 unread voice messages. Message one—"Bonnie hangs up.

_ 231? Who would leave me 231 messages?_ She thought.

Bonnie opened her book in class to follow along with the lecture. She bit her lips, trying hard to understand the material. She just couldn't get it. Or maybe she just wasn't motivated enough to care to get it. She sighs and sits back into her seat. She feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around.

"Do you have any notes now?" The guy asked.

"No," Bonnie replied. She turned back around, a little annoyed. She focused her gaze on Professor Max, seeing a figure move outside the class in her peripheral. She looked at the door, seeing nothing.

She didn't pay any attention to it, just itched her eyebrow and focused on Max. Then, it happened again. And she looked, again. There was nothing.

Bonnie jumped at the sound of a girl screaming. She was calling for help and screaming helplessly and in distress. Bonnie didn't budge. She tried to ignore it. That's when the girl's screams begin to pierce her ears and Bonnie covered them as quick as she could.

She heaved through her mouth, looking at the other students who weren't reacting to Bonnie nor the girl's screams. She closed her eyes tight.

She opened them, realizing it was a dream. She turns over to see Elena standing over her bed. Bonnie immediately sat up.

"Hey," Bonnie said.

"Hey," Elena replied, looking to the floor. "Don't hate me, but someone's here to see you…"

Bonnie furrowed her brows as Elena turned her to the door. In walked Kai, smiling like a trickster.

"Elena, why did you bring him here?" Bonnie said, upset.

"Oh, don't blame her, Bonnie. I made her," Kai said, smirking. He looks at Elena. "Leave us, please." Elena rolls her eyes and walks out of the dorm. Bonnie brings her knees up to her chest, anxious. She wraps her arms around her legs, watching Kai walk to her bed.

"Am I allowed to sit?" Kai asks her.

"You're already here aren't you? Make yourself at home."

"Look. Thank you. Okay? Thank. You. For saving me," Kai said to her.

"Oh, please," Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"I'm serious," Kai said, his eyes widening.

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious," Kai's tone deepened, in a playful way, and he laughed. Bonnie didn't find it amusing though.

"Why haven't you left to go murder the Gemini Coven, the people that saved you, by the way."

"Trust me, I've tried leaving this vilifying place," Kai cuts his eyes to bookcase, then back to Bonnie, "But every time I try to leave, something's keeps pulling me back."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah," Kai cocks his head at her, glaring at her with his nostrils flaring. Bonnie turns away. She was so sick of the guy. Then, after a moment of thinking,she chuckles and glares back at him.

"That's why you're here," She shakes her head in amazement, "You think it's me." Kai doesn't answer her. He just continues to glare at her in hopes that she will admit it is her. "Tough, because it's not."

"Bullshit, witch!" Kai grabs onto Bonnie and tries to steal her power. She doesn't budge, just gives a satisfying smile.

"Dumb ass. I don't have my magic!" She rips his hand off of her arm.

He smooths his shirt down along with his shirt sleeves while saying "If you actually think I'm going to believe that, then you obviously—" He launches at her, pinning her up against the headboard with his hand on her neck. He leans into her, their noses grazing, and tilts his head slowly. "—you obviously do think I'm some kind of dumb ass!"

He puts even more pressure on her neck and Bonnie grunts.

"Elena!" Bonnie screams through her teeth. Elena charges in the room and grabs Kai. She pulls him off of Bonnie and throws him to the other side of the room. He crashes through a window.

Bonnie rubs over her neck, catching her breath. Elena looks at Bonnie, and Bonnie nods with gratitude. Elena gives a genial smile and makes her way to the door, giving one last look at Bonnie.

Bonnie knocks on Professor Max's office door.

"Just a minute!" Max called out. Bonnie leaned back on her left leg and looked to her left down the narrow hall, in all of its never ending nature. Max opened the door quickly, looking a bit stirred. "Hi, come in!"

Bonnie walks in, not at all surprised by the scattered papers and folders on his desk. He weaved around her in the small office to get behind his desk. He sits down and takes a deep breath. "Have a seat!"

Bonnie sits in one of the chairs. Max was clicking away on his computer with his chin rested on his hand.

"Now, what was it we were supposed to be talking about?" Max said, his eyes thinning.

"Well, about how I can catch up before exams," Bonnie reminds him.

"Oh, yeah! You were the one talking about the vacation. What's your name? I'm sorry students tell me stories all the time to get me to write them a recommendation."

"Bonnie."

"Look, Bonnie, honestly, there's nothing I can do," Max told her. She was upset at the news, but hid it under a poised manner. "You picked the wrong time to go on vacation."

"In my defense, I really didn't have a say. I was looking out for my friends."

"Well, pfft. You got some really shitty friends, don't you think?"

Bonnie stands up. "Okay, I better go."

"Wait, just drop your classes this semester and register for the same ones in the next. You seem like a smart girl who made a bad decision. "

Bonnie slowly began to shake her head. "Look, I appreciate… you know what, you didn't even try to do anything so," Bonnie tries to think of something to say or a way to end the conversation, but nothing comes to mind. She just leaves, closing the door behind her.

She stands in front of the door, feeling overwhelmed with tears. She tries to take a few deep breaths to calm her breathing. Her eyes close to help calm herself down.

"It's okay," She said to herself.

Bonnie received a text from Elena shortly after leaving Professor Max's office. She's throwing a small get together for her friends. Bonnie thought about it, and this could be the thing to bring her relationship with Elena back on good terms. Not the questionable terms it's been on since she came back.

So, Bonnie puts on a little black dress and a red beanie. She throws her leather jacket on and heads out of her dorm, and to some venue Liam helped Elena get.

Bonnie walked into the building. The place was packed. Bonnie was convinced it would only be her, Elena, Caroline, and a few others. Something like a girl's night out plus Liam. This is nothing like she imagined. It was a party.

Bonnie weaved through the crowds of people chatting and dancing until she heard her name. It was Elena. She followed her voice, but someone snatched her beanie off of her head.

"Hey!" She looked in the person's direction and he looked back at her. It was some stranger, and Bonnie started to go after him to get her beanie back.

Jeremy stepped in her way.

"Jeremy, now is not the time—" Bonnie tells him.

"Please, just let me talk. I'm sorry for the way I acted around you. It wasn't fair to you," Jeremy said. Bonnie was delighted to hear this. It made her feel a little bit better, and it oddly, gave her hope… until Jeremy's new girl showed up on his arm. Sarah.

"You must be the ex from dead," Sarah said to Bonnie.

Bonnie cut her eyes from Sarah to Jeremy, then walked away from them. She met up with Elena, Caroline, and Liam.

"Hey!" Bonnie said to them, and they all greeted her back. "Where's Matt?"

"He didn't respond to my text," Elena said.

"Any, of our texts," Caroline said, looking into her glass. Bonnie licked her lips in anticipation.

"I'm calling him," Bonnie said, walking away.

Bonnie walked outside, finally feeling some relief for her eardrums. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and dialed a number, putting the phone to her ear. His phone sent her straight to voicemail.

"Matt, seriously? I show up and you don't? Donovan, put whatever animosity you have against them for one night. Me, you, Elena, and Caroline will be together like old times. Nothing would make me feel any better."

"What about this?" A voice said behind her.

Bonnie turns around, seeing Damon holding her teddy bear Ms. Cuddles, who was wearing her red beanie.

"Damon?" Bonnie said, almost losing her breath and slowly bringing her phone to her side.

Damon smiles widely and genuinely, walking up to her. "I believe this belongs to you."

He couldn't stop smiling, not in her presence anyway. She was a bright star to him, something he'd searched for and thought he'd found before, but it never felt as tangible as it does now. They have a connection that can never be severed no matter what they do. As Bonnie looks down, grabbing Ms. Cuddles from him and peers up, seeing Damon's unruly smile attempt to hide his simplicity of his look, she feels that connection.

Damon clears his throat. "So," in a soft, swollen voice, Damon speaks, "You're not mad at me, are you?" Damon looks down, kicking gravel onto Bonnie's boots. She didn't notice though.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Bonnie asked, finding his eyes. He sees them and is pulled into her green orbs again.

"Because I assumed you were dead… and you really weren't."

Bonnie chuckled, yet she didn't smile. She looked to the road next to her, thinking about what he said. How should she feel? Angry, resentful, unforgiving? She could never.

"What're you thinking about?" Damon asked her. She turned back to face him.

"It's just weird because… I actually missed you." Bonnie looks at him, perplexed. It's as if this feeling of longing had just hit her at impulse, and she had to decide to tell him now or tell him never.

Damon's mouth opened at the comment, but he quickly closed his it and swallowed, looking back down at Ms. Cuddles.

"Well, thank Ms. Cuddles, because without her… I would have never known."

Before they could realize it, they were inches away from each other. Damon didn't budge. He liked the security Bonnie gave him, and for her, it felt different, like the first time seeing tadpoles in the evening pond— she was captivated and will never forget it. And, even if she wanted to, it would be impossible.

Damon took the red beanie off of Ms. Cuddles and put it on Bonnie's head. Bonnie chuckled while Damon remained in his seriousness.

"What're you doing?" Bonnie asked him. He flicked the puffy ball on top of her beanie. "Dork."

Bonnie steps away, hugging Ms. Cuddles close to her chest and turning around. Damon watched her, so happy to have his best friend back.

Bonnie turned back around and thought about what Caroline said yesterday. About Damon. How _he's just Damon._

_ No,_ Bonnie thought, _No, he's more than that. He's complex, a novelty…_

"…a rock in the goldmine, but a rock all the same," Bonnie said out loud. She covers her mouth.

"Yeah, I heard that," Damon said to her.

Bonnie clutched Ms. Cuddles again, staring at Damon with grace, and smiled.

"Good." Bonnie's smile turns to a frown when she sees a face peeking out the side of the building.

Peeking around the corner of the building is Kai, watching Bonnie and Damon. Damon turns around, feeling a presence around him.

"Who's there?" Damon yells. No answer. He looks back at Bonnie, confused. She drops her arms to the side, her mouth agape. Damon motions for her to follow, and they walk to the corner. Liam pops from the side of the building.

"Hey," Liam said. "It's you... and, Elena's friend, Bonnie."

Damon raises one eyebrow and looks at Bonnie. She's glaring at Liam, her eyes thinned and jaw tensed. She looks back at Damon.

"Okay… nice to meet you too," Liam walks between them and back into the party. Damon and Bonnie watch him as he does.

"Something isn't right," Damon said, his face in a scrunch like he'd just smelled something awful.

"Not at all, because that was Kai, that I'd seen, not Liam," Bonnie told Damon. He lifted his chin, shocked by that information. "Nope, I am not here for this shit again."

Bonnie rolls her eyes and folds her arms while Damon shuts his eyes tight and sighs.


	2. My Sweetest Friend

The air remains cold. Bonnie cuddled herself, standing against the building in the freezing air. Damon had told her to stay where she was, while he went inside to interrogate Liam. Bonnie put on a façade when he told her that, raising her eyebrows and giving him a tight lipped smile. The paleness of his face would never match that of his character. And Bonnie knew this as she felt compelled to think about his urge to protect the ones he loves. In this matter, it leans toward Elena. Bonnie wouldn't have minded a couple months ago, she'd always known his behavior towards Elena can be somewhat destructive, but now that she's grown to care for him it presents a different paradox for her.

Damon, with focused, transparent eyes, read Bonnie like a book. Her green eyes may offer a richness, something like a meadow, but he could see she wasn't very happy with what was going on. She may have shown him a believable smile, but Damon was all too keen on Bonnie's dismissiveness and her natural way of conveying to others things are okay. When to her, they clearly are not.

Not surprising at all to her, Damon hasn't lashed out in his usual way against Elena removing her memories. And word has it, HE broke up with HER. Whether there is finality in that conclusion, Bonnie doesn't think so. She has her doubts, and moreover doesn't believe she has a stake in what Damon and Elena will become in the future.

Bonnie has her own plans; suddenly thrown into the depths of her mind as she receives a phone call from Matt.

"Hey," Bonnie says in a delighted voice, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Hello Bonnie," Matt replies, "Look, I'm sorry about not coming to the get together or whatever. I just…" Matt stops for a moment, figuring out what to say.

Bonnie hears a movement in the bushes next to her, and her head whips to the left.

"I-I can't be around them right now. Not with how I am feeling," Matt continues.

Bonnie ignores the sound. Probably an animal. "How are you feeling, Matt?" Bonnie asks him. She waits for him to answer, because she truly cares, but all she hears is the sound of his breaths. So, she continues: "Because the last time I talked to you, you seemed very hurt."

"Well, I did just bang up my foot."

"You know what I mean, Matt. I'm just—UHHH!" Bonnie clutches her stomach and bends over, dropping her phone on the ground. She stumbles back into the wall, holding her stomach tight. Looking down, and pausing between breaths to alleviate the pain, Bonnie removes her hands slowly to see her black dress soaking up. Blood.

"OH!" Bonnie drops Ms. Cuddles as the pain grew stronger. She fell to her knees trying to catch a steady breath. Whatever is happening to her, it's growing to unbearable levels and she could feel herself passing out at any time. It's as if she is practicing a spell, a powerful one, and she had no intention of letting up.

Though it feels the same, it's not. This is torture brought on by some outside force, and she lets up. She lets up.

"I awoke in a hospital bed. For the first time in my life. And it was so odd, because out of all the times I've been in physical danger… I've never been taken to the hospital." Bonnie taps her finger against the arm of the chair, shaking her head sternly.

She wasn't in this office too long ago. One day or so, when Professor Max bluntly told her it was too late for her. But she's back after receiving an email from him this morning. He apologized and was willing to talk to her about possible alternatives. Bonnie agreed to have the meeting, but she was so disillusioned from last night. And it has infected the rest of her life in a negative way.

She looks into the eyes of Professor Max, raising her chin. "I just… I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I feel like I should be telling someone… and I feel comfortable telling you, but I just feel like I should be telling this to someone else."

Professor Max placed his arms on his messy desk and interlocked his fingers, trying to construct an understanding look on his face. He didn't have an answer though. Bonnie readily knew this; that he is a lost cause. Especially concerning her future. She didn't withdraw from sharing this personal information with him though, but the thought of doing it made her feel as if it should be shared with someone else.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is… I miss being normal," Bonnie admits. She takes a deep breath and exhales, massaging her hands on her thighs. She looks at Professor Max's shaken eyes as they search the room absently.

"So, what do you propose we do— or what do you see as a solution to this…" Professor Max finally opened his mouth, to Bonnie's surprise. She really threw him off a bit, and it still is evident as he began to stutter. "Normal… missage, thingy. Wow," He itches his head, "I just totally made up a word."

Bonnie ponders his question a moment, then leans her head back as she thinks.

"I think I'm going to leave." She looks at Max, who isn't surprised at this remark. The corners of his mouth turned down in approval as he nods. Bonnie nods. "Yeah, I just think I need to start over."

Bonnie spent the rest of yesterday muddling herself over moving. She doesn't want to stay here, but she isn't trying to remove her friends from her life. She turns the page of her grimoire, running eyes down the worn pages, but thinking about what she should do. She bounces on her bed a bit, chuckling to herself.

"I wouldn't miss this," She says, a slight smile on her face. She closes her mouth, looking at Ms. Cuddles sitting in front of her. Composed of all of her Bennett magic, she decided to focus on retrieving that instead of fogging her mind about moving. As soon as she's finished with this, she'll make an impulse decision on whether to leave or not. It's been settled.

Bonnie itches her forehead, flipping the page of the grimoire with her other hand. A spell to return the magic enclosed in an object back to its rightful owner shouldn't be too difficult.

She inhales. "Okay…" She says, running her finger down a page. She takes another breath and starts chanting a spell, closing her eyes. Her hands were facing Ms. Cuddles.

Her magic transferred itself back into her, and she could feel its power as her body went through a series of jolts and convulses. Her mouth opens as she absorbs her magic and palpitates through breaths, passing out on her bed.

Bonnie opens her eyes. She checks her phone. Messages from Matt are in her notifications. She looks at the time. 1:30. She hears voices, unfamiliar ones coming from across the room. Sitting up in bed, she sees Elena talking to two repairmen as they analyzed the window she broke. Elena looks over at Bonnie, seeing she is awake and walks over to her.

"How are you feeling?" Elena asked, climbing onto the edge of the bed and resting on her knees.

"I'm better," Bonnie says, looking down at her stomach and lifting her shirt. Elena makes a nauseated face.

"Oh," Elena comments.

"Yeah. I got my magic back," Bonnie tells her, then shifts her gaze to the door and uses her magic to open it. The two repairmen jumped, erupting laughter in Elena and Bonnie.

Elena looks up at Bonnie. "How are we, Bonnie?"

Bonnie is caught off guard by this question. She didn't know where they stood. Their relationship ever since the Salvatore's entered has been stripped of its innocence. There entire relationship was built on innocence, like any other long-term friendship from childhood, but Bonnie didn't have the persistence to salvage it. Or, maybe it was Elena. They probably both were at fault.

Bonnie answers just before Elena was going to give up on it. "I'm leaving, Elena," The words left Bonnie's mouth as if she's been wanting to say it for years. Breathless, carefree, and without regret, but soaked in seriousness all the while.

"What?" Elena replies. Bonnie noticed her bottom lip tremble a bit and her face covers in anxiety.

"I can't stay here anymore," Bonnie doesn't move her gaze from Elena's. "I mean, look at this," She points down to her wound, "I'm here all two days and I still can't escape this torture. And God knows why it happened, but it did. And it was just the last straw for me."

"Any… one of these times could have been the last straw, why now?" Elena says, and Bonnie couldn't help but feel a sting from this remark. It hurt. She didn't know how to answer the question. In some ways, Elena is right. Bonnie has had so many chances to leave, so what is changing her mind now? Is it Matt's realization that is persuading her, or her own self-reflection about wanting to be normal again?

"I can't say, Elena. But I am leaving, and I'm not changing my mind." Bonnie looks over at the bookcase. Elena looks at her bedding, and nods quickly.

"Right." Elena is left speechless. The bridge is crumbling between Bonnie and Elena, and not one of them is willing to fix it. Elena would if Bonnie would. But Bonnie is in a different place, and Elena has no standing where she is.

The two sit enveloped in silence. Elena picks up Ms. Cuddles and puts her on her lap.

"Ms. Cuddles," Elena chuckles. Bonnie looks back at Elena, smiling. Elena doesn't look up, she only stares at Ms. Cuddles. Bonnie watches as her smile descends into an empty frown. The last time she saw that look was when Elena had her humanity switch off.

Elena sits Ms. Cuddles back onto the bed and gives a transparent smile, keeping her head down. She marches out of the room while Bonnie grabs Ms. Cuddles, hugging her tight.

She kind of wanted to say something, to apologize and put all of the troubles between her and Elena behind. She just can't see that happening practically, though. She stands up and walks across the large dorm room to close the door.

Later that day, as the moon begins its ascent, Bonnie sits on the window seal of the new window, looking outside. She busts into tears, covering her face and shaking uncontrollably. She inhales, then gasps. Looking out the window again, she sees Kai standing in the grass staring at her. Bonnie wipes her face and walks away from the window.

"What is that stalker doing here?" Bonnie says to herself. She hears a knock on the door and walks to get it. She opens the door and it's Damon, smiling. His smile fades into concern when he sees her.

"What's wrong?" Damon asks, his brows furrowed. Bonnie sighs, and Damon walks in, closing the door behind him. He faces Bonnie again, his blue eyes jumping up and down her body.

"Elena and I… I don't think we're friends anymore," Bonnie tells him, walking over to the window. Damon watches her and his mouth slowly opens when he hears her say that. He wonders if it was about him. His jaw clenches as he takes a step towards her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Bonnie sniffles, taking another look out the window. Kai is gone. "I'm okay." Damon stares at her with a content face and nods.

"How's your stomach?" Damon asks, walking closer to her.

Bonnie raises her chin, glaring at him. "You know about that?"

"I'm just keeping tabs on my favorite girl." Bonnie sighs, folding her arms and walking past him.

"What do you want?"

"So what? Since we're not in 1994, we can't still hang out?"

Bonnie stops walking, and turns around, pursing her lips at him. She takes a deep breath.

"Okay." As soon as Bonnie says that, Kai busts into the room.

"Ding-dong!" Kai yells, his arms in the air as he walks in. He drops his arms to the side when he sees Bonnie and smiles, cocking his head. "Bonnie," He clasps his hands together, "How are you?"

Kai cuts his eyes to Damon, who is fueling with anger at the sight of Kai. Damon zooms at Kai, pinning him on the ground. He pushes his forearm into his neck and Kai chuckles, then chokes up.

"Didn't I tell you to leave?" Damon aggressively says through his teeth. Kai replies in a snarky, sarcastic tone and Damon pushes his forearm even further into neck. Bonnie becomes alarmed when she heard a crack.

"Damon," Bonnie says walking over to him. She grabs him and pulls him off of Kai. He continues to stare at Kai in disgust, while Kai dusts himself.

"We could kill you right now," Damon mumbles, but just loud enough for Kai to hear.

"We could," Bonnie glares at Damon, then looks at Kai, "But we're not going to."

Kai stands up, perky, and walks towards Bonnie and Damon.

"I tried to leave," Kai tells them, his frustration rising. "I continue to try to leave, YET there is no success!" Kai storms away from them, his face tense and rife with hatred. He turns back around, pointing at Bonnie.

Damon and Bonnie exchange looks.

"What're you doing?" Bonnie asks Kai. Kai begins to laugh maniacally through his teeth. Damon starts to grim him with his eyes.

"I will RIP your finger off, what the hell?" Damon articulates. Kai keeps laughing as he walks out of the dorm. "He's up to something. I'm going to find out." Damon heads toward the door, but Bonnie grabs his arm to stop him.

"Wait, I'm coming with."

"You should. Maybe this time you won't get hurt."

Bonnie pierces him with her gaze right up until he opens the door for her as they leave. He argues with her about not being able to protect herself like he thought she could. He was just teasing, but it still ignited a fire within Bonnie. She explained to him that she is fully capable of taking care of herself, but not when something invisible is hurting her.

"So, you were attacked by a ghost?" Damon asks Bonnie, incredulously, while getting into his car. She smirks, shutting the car door. "Because we totally obliterated the other side, if you can't seem to remember that."

"I don't know what it was," Bonnie replies to him, "But I do know that it was something." She sasses him with a smile then turns to look out the windshield. They were trailing behind Kai, who's driving a pickup truck. Bonnie wonders where he could have gotten the truck. He most likely stole it from someone.

"Where do you think he's going?" Bonnie asks Damon.

"I don't know, Bon-Bon," Damon says with snark. He turns to look at her, his blue eyes like bottomless oceans. "That's what we're going to find out." He smiles at her just to annoy her.

"Pay attention to the road," Bonnie tells him, gesturing towards the windshield. He keeps on smiling at her, which is until she pushes his face away lightly. He chuckles and she shakes her head, poking her jaw with her tongue.

Damon turns in the Whitmore hospital parking lot and parks the car near the back, but close enough distance to get a good look at Kai and what he was up to. Bonnie watches as Damon tuned the radio. He stopped on a radio station composed completely of jazz. She leans on her hand, looking out her window.

Damon sees Kai stop his truck in front of the hospital doors and run inside. Damon opens his car door, urging Bonnie to follow.

As they make their way across the lot, Bonnie wonders why she is even here. She does want to know what Kai is up to, but she plans to move from this place so it honestly doesn't matter. Plus, she doesn't want to believe it but Damon will be devastated to find out she's leaving. Others will too, but it's such a sharp contradiction that Damon will be a little upset. She knows he wouldn't want her to go, but he wouldn't want to hold her back either.

She looks over at Damon just as he looked at her, and for a brief moment she wanted to stay. She wanted to be consistent as the night sky above them, trickling its eternity upon them, but she couldn't. She looks away, onto the sidewalk, into the grittiness of its surface and in reflection to her dazed heart, contemplating if her plans are truly the right way to go.

Kai stumbles into the hallway of the Whitmore medical center, falling into a wheelchair. He stands back up and rubs his hand over his stomach. He looks down the hall, his eyes darkened with resolve, and walks down the steady hallway.

"JO!" He calls out as he breathes through his nose. A nurse holding a clipboard steps out of a hospital room and tells Kai to quiet down. He kicks his foot angrily in her direction, almost tripping himself. "You shush!" He tells her.

Bonnie walks into the lobby, her mouth hanging open as she looks around for Kai. Damon approaches behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders with one of his eyebrows raised.

"I heard something," Damon says to her. Bonnie looks up at him, then down at his hand. "Follow me." Damon whisks away down the hall, and Bonnie follows behind him.

Kai turns down a corridor that lead to two double doors. He pushes them open with both hands, looking down both sides of the hall.

"JO!" He yells again. "Where IS she?" Kai says to himself in frustration. He stomps over to a wall and slams his hand against it. He steps away from the wall, shaking his arms out and bouncing on his toes. It didn't matter how calm he could get himself; the minute he sees Jo he'll burst with animosity. He knows she is keeping him here. Why? But it's either let him go or she'll die.

He looks down the hall, seeing an old man wheel himself out of his room. A nurse chases behind the old man to catch him and push him back into the room. Kai walks in their direction determined to find Jo, and turns left at the end of the hallway.

Damon and Bonnie walk around a corner and find Kai kicking down doors and calling for Jo. Damon pushes Bonnie back, and they peek from around the corner. Bonnie tries to suppress her laughter at Kai's anger. Damon shakes his head at Kai and pulls his head back from Kai's view.

"What the hell does he want with Jo?" Damon asks.

"Whatever it is, it's important." Bonnie pulls back also, leaning back against the wall.

Damon steps out in front of Bonnie and starts to pace. "We need a plan of action."

Bonnie rolls her eyes. "You don't have anything else better to do, do you?"

He puts his hands on his hips and leans his head towards her. "Bon-Bon, I know you're not too keen on wanting to protect yourself which is why I am here." He points to himself with both hands, stepping in front of her.

"I can handle myself, Damon."

"Can you? Because I could—"He reaches for her neck with his hand in a quick motion, but she stops him with the palm of her hand using her magic.

Two security guards jog by, not paying much attention to Bonnie and Damon. Bonnie lowers her palm and he steps back, clenching his jaws.

"You proved your point," Damon admits, reluctantly.

Bonnie walks up the stairs and turns down the hallway to her dorm. When she reaches her door, she sighs. She's tired and wants to just plop onto her bed and snuggle under the covers. After searching for her keys, she finds it and opens the door to her dorm to see Caroline pulling the covers over her bed. She stops and turns around when she hears the door open. Caroline smiles at Bonnie and she does it back. Caroline looks away, and the air in the room suddenly got hot and crowded. Elena must have told Caroline, even though Bonnie did want to do it herself.

Bonnie starts to walk over to her bed when Caroline says, "So, you're leaving?"

"Yeah, Care," Bonnie says. The words left her lips and she suddenly wanted to take them back. Caroline's face had been planted to the floor, and soon her eyes avert up to meet Bonnie's.

Bonnie remembers why she feels this regret. It starts with remembering when she first returned to Mystic Falls:

Back in 1994, a few minutes before she would come back, Kai was off on his own being mad at the 90s world. Bonnie found solace and peace as she opened the door to old house. She was just getting comfortable with this situation, and the smile barely stretched across her face indicated just that as she entered her old home. She walked into the quaint living room, seeing photos of her family when they were just that… a family. She picked up a picture frame of her, her dad, and her mom. A regular, traditional family photo that was poignant nonetheless.

Poignant for her because she wanted so bad to go back. It felt so bittersweet because in a way she was _back_. Just alone. And most affirming, forgotten.

Bonnie dropped to her knees, holding the frame in her hands and falling onto her back. She stared up at the ceiling with a willingness to lie there forever. She placed the frame on her chest and turned her head to the side. She gasped. Caroline was standing a few feet away, her eyes swelling with tears.

"Caroline!" Barely getting the words out of her mouth, Bonnie raced up and ran to Caroline, wrapping her arms around her. Caroline closed her eyes as more tears rushed down her face.

"Oh my god," Caroline said, wiping the tears from her eyes. She pursed her lips to try and stop herself from crying, but she couldn't. She could feel Bonnie's emotions and the undeniable fact that she was losing it. She was becoming a mere vessel here all alone by herself.

"How are you here?" Bonnie asks through sobs, still in Caroline's grasp.

"It doesn't matter. Just know your finally going home," Caroline says. Bonnie lets go of Caroline and stares at her in shaken amazement. She turns around and looks at her old living room, a look of disbelief covering her face.

"Are you really here?" Bonnie says, shaking her head in disbelief. She turns back around to face Caroline.

"Yes!" Caroline gasps. "People say that I'm the mold that holds us altogether but that's a lie. You are."

Bonnie will never forget that moment. She can't say how much truth is in that statement, but she can say that Caroline found her at her utmost breaking point. As Caroline walks pass her now, in the dorms, without a word, something changes. She leaves the dorm, and Bonnie cocks her head to the side as the door closes softly.

She gasps.

The next day, Bonnie steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around her. She looks into the foggy mirror and wipes off the fog. _Determination_, she thinks.

Today's the day. The day she'll leave behind a life that's dug her whole self into the dirt. This time she'll grow and bloom like the girl she knew she was supposed to be. She walks into the empty dorm fully clothed, tucking her phone into her back pants pocket. She just wants to feel different. She wants to forget this life ever happened. To cleanse herself.

Her phone rings.

"Hello?" Bonnie answers without seeing who it is.

"Hey Bonnie," Matt says, "I was wondering if you'd go with me to this thing the Fell family is holding."

Bonnie without hesitation agrees to do this one last thing before leaving. She owes it to Matt to tell him she's leaving anyway. She owes it to Damon to, and knows she does. Why is she neglecting to tell him? Every time she thinks about telling Damon her heart beats faster and the palms of her hands get sweaty, and suddenly, she can't bring herself to tell him.

"It doesn't feel any different," Bonnie mentions, squinting her eyes in the rays of the sun. Being back in Mystic Falls is a mystery. She feels a certain pull, or attraction, to it, yet she has the urge to remain as far as possible from the town.

"Well, it's definitely safer," Matt replies, taking a sip of his tea and turning his gaze to the clock tower. He looks at it for a moment, just fixated on it. Bonnie looks along.

"Three-thirty," Bonnie says, and Matt faces her. "You know, time didn't exist in 1994. And as confounded as that was, Damon and I did a lot together. It's unreal what you can do without time limits."

"Yeah," Matt agrees, using his straw to play around with his drink. "We wake up every day and feel like we have to start over. Doing the same thing over and over again. Like robots."

Bonnie nods. 1994 was so absurd to her. It felt peaceful but all the while was torture. It really made her wonder about what her Grams said about making sure she found peace. After all that's happened, there can be only one interpretation for Bonnie. It's either wait for peace to find her or she ventures out to find it herself. One way or another she will make Gram's words live in reality.

Matt tucks his hands into his pocket while he and Bonnie walk along the sidewalk down a familiar neighborhood in Mystic Falls. He listens to her talk lovingly about her four months with Damon. Bonnie didn't have much of a choice. That voicemail she left him the other night went on for longer than she thought, and Matt listened to the entire thing. Her entire exchange with Damon.

"Are you and Damon a thing or something?" Matt asks Bonnie. She looks at his erratic face as he waits for an answer from her.

Bonnie didn't give him a definite answer. Just something for him to think about. Approaching Bonnie's old home after walking in silence with each other, Matt looks at Bonnie and tells her that it's cool. She chuckles, a smile stretching across her face. Then, she turns and looks at her old house. Matt joins her.

Her smile hasn't faded, and she lifts her chin as if to smell something sweet and inviting. She blinks.

She wants to go inside but it's not her house anymore. The red mini-van parked in the driveway isn't any of her families. There is no fresh cut grass. No lilac's blossoming in the sun. The bushes aren't trimmed and the entire porch has been remodeled into a precarious, wooden deck. She looks down at the freshly painted gated fence in front of her. This is not her home anymore… just a place where she used to be.

Bonnie starts walking away. Matt follows behind her, giving one last look at Bonnie's old home.


	3. You're Onto Me, I Know

Matt approached his front door as the midday air begin to fill in. Bonnie looked up at the sun, standing beside him as he unlocks the front door. They walk inside to a dark living room, the blue curtains reflecting a blue tint onto the pasty walls.

He removed his varsity jacket and hung it on the coat rack near the door. Bonnie looked over, surprised at the jackets and coats hanging. Matt put his between a black peacoat and a red, puffy one.

He takes a few steps forward to a lamp that was sitting on a coffee table, near his white leather sofa. Bonnie tucks her hands into her leather jacket pockets, whipping her head to remove the bang from her view. Matt pulls the light switch on the lamp, but it doesn't turn on.

"Cozy," Bonnie spoke, biting her lip as her curious body leads her further into the living room. Matt swallows. He assumed the bulb was blew.

"More like consuming," Matt says as he crosses back to the front door to flick the light switch on the wall. Bonnie chuckles at his remark, stopping in front of an archway to the kitchen.

"Shit..." Matt dragged out. Bonnie turns to look at him and he flicks the switch again. He sighs, meeting Bonnie's concerned eyes. "Electricity is out." Matt nods, although he couldn't believe it.

Bonnie was speechless as Matt walks past her and down the hall. He goes into a room. Bonnie assumed its to change. The Fell family is holding a celebration in Tripp's honor. Bonnie found it a little weird, and a bit too soon? She was just supporting Matt, who really wanted her to go with him.

Bonnie walks to the sofa and leans on it. She looks down the hallway, her eyes slowly wandering down to the scuffed, wood floor.

Matt's room door opens and Bonnie's eyes avert up. He steps out, only wearing his jeans and brown boots. His pudgy white chest, Bonnie noticed, no different from when they were kids. It's a little toned than before, but the old Matt is definitely reminiscent in him still. At least Bonnie could see. Caroline, and Elena would see it too.

His chest rises as he attempts to vent to Bonnie. Leaning against the wall, he finally looks at Bonnie. She didn't care about his situation. Everyone struggles every now and then. Matt feels he needs to let her know. It's an ache, a burn, a nagging feeling inside of him that is forcing him to tell Bonnie what is up.

"What's up, Matt?" Bonnie lightens the mood, speaking in a playful voice. He relaxes his shoulders a bit, standing up straight and opening his mouth.

"As you can see, not much has changed," Matt begins, looking around and talking in his usual husky voice. His mushy face shapes his cheekbones as he purses his lips at Bonnie, his head shaking a little. Bonnie turns her body in his direction, listening.

"I still live in the house that I was raised in, bathed in..." He shrugs, his eyes glued to a corner of the room. "...um. I remember when we first got that leather sofa, and me and Vicki were so happy." Matt smiles as he gets lost in his memories, his eyes unmoved from the ceiling. The corner of Bonnie's mouth itches a smile as she watches him.

"And Bonnie it was just a fucking sofa!" Matt said. He laughs. "A stupid leather sofa and Vicki and I were so happy for it, because you know, we didn't have much." Matt's eyebrows decrease into a pensive expression as he looks at Bonnie. "So, when we got that sofa... it was like a new toy or something." Bonnie takes a deep breath, then turns to look at the sofa.

It is not new anymore. It's worn out, torn, and the orange puff is protruding from the inside.

"I've just been trying so hard to keep this place up... working extra shifts at the grill, doing some odd jobs here and there... but it's so hard." Matt continues.

"I know, Matt," Bonnie reassures him, meeting his blue eyes. "I know. If you need anything-"

Matt cuts her off, putting his hands up and shaking them in her direction: "No. No, Bonnie. I'll be fine. I just haven't worked as much lately between Tripp dying and the vampires and... you know."

Bonnie didn't know, and she stares at him, trying to find some understanding or grasp, but she couldn't.

"I'll be good, Bonnie. I just didn't want to leave you in the dark about my situation," Matt admitted. His mouth spreads out a bit, giving her a comforting smile. Bonnie nods. "I just have to put on a shirt, then we can go."

Matt turns around and walks back into his room. Bonnie goes to sit on the leather sofa, observing the living room more. A breeze poured in from an open window, the blue curtains flying up in the air. Bonnie walked over to it to close when she heard someone yelling. She leans closer to the window and the voices became more distinct.

"Yeah, and? So?" A girl's voice.

"I really don't want to do this," A guy's voice. Bonnie's eyes shift to the side. The voice is familiar.

"Well, you have to. If you expect to ever move on-" The girl continues.

"She was DEAD, Sarah!" Bonnie's mouth closes and she stands up, figuring out who it is.

Matt walks down the hall, buttoning a white shirt up his torso. Bonnie turns around to see him and is impressed with his outfit. She nods in approval just as he looks up at her.

"What?" Matt asks.

"You look real nice, Matt," Bonnie sincerely replied. "Where exactly are we going again?" Bonnie inquires, looking at her own outfit.

"Your outfit is fine." Bonnie glares at him with a smirk. Matt was wearing a dress shirt and pants. Bonnie wore black skinny jeans and a plaid red and black shirt. She liked to think she wasn't dressed properly for this event.

A knock came on the door. Bonnie turned to look and Matt strutted to the door and opens it. Jeremy, in all his lovesick glory, stands with his arm interlocked with Sarah's. The two she'd heard outside. She was right.

Jeremy locks eyes with Bonnie, and almost instantly, she looks away.

Sarah isn't much of a mystery to Bonnie anymore, at least in one aspect. This aspect being her talkative, intrusive personality. She talked the whole car ride to the Fell event, but what was so baffling to Bonnie is who she was talking to. Matt.

Bonnie rested her chin on her hand and looked at the trees and grass and cornfields that appeared and vanished in her view as they drove down the road. Jeremy would turn to look at her every now and then, he sat in the passenger seat while Sarah drove. She could feel his swollen eyes beaming into her skull. She never returned his longing, because looking at him would be like the sound of fingernails scratching across a chalk board.

Sarah and Jeremy enter the Fell mansion hand in hand, with Matt and Bonnie following behind. There was a wide staircase in front of them that had a blue rug stretched across it. As they ascended the staircase, there was a table at the top with photos, awards, and other things honoring Tripp Fell.

"Look," Bonnie said to Matt, pointing at the table. Jeremy turns his head a little as he hears Bonnie's voice. He peeks over his shoulder to glance at her, but she pays him no mind. Her eyes are trained on the table, as are Matt's.

Bonnie approaches the table, standing in awe and surprise, next to Matt.

"Wow," Bonnie begins, her head cocking to the side in shock, "Tripp was very busy."

"Yeah," Matt agrees, his eyes thinning as his next thought blurts out of his: "Because a vampire compelled him to forget the real reason for his wife's death..." Bonnie turned to look at Matt. "As soon as he entered Mystic Falls and discovered what truly happened, his mission up until a few weeks ago was to eradicate the vampire."

Bonnie turned back to look at the table. She saw a picture of Tripp and his wife, standing on a lawn in front of a house straight out of the American dream.

"Let's get inside," Matt says, brushing past her. She follows him into the ballroom.

The ball room was covered in even more shades of blue, with bits of white and black here and there. Circular tables were set up all across the center of the room, while the outskirts had banquet tables, a bar, and a large window that led out to an even bigger balcony. The sun beamed its rays through, oddly meshing with the dark colors of blue gorgeously. There were cards on the table that read the names of the guests attending.

The four of them stood in between two pillars, in which were arranged around the ballroom. Bonnie looks to her right and sees a full stage where a jazz band is playing. Sarah, Jeremy, and Bonnie follow Matt to their table.

"Damon would love this place," Bonnie mumbles to herself, a quaint smile filling her face as the music soothes, in tranquility, the conflicting nature of her mind. Matt furrows his brow, turning to look at Bonnie. It's all so new, this Bonnie and Damon thing, and Matt is still adjusting to Bonnie's mentions here and there.

"Why?" Matt asks as his face relaxes a bit.

"Because he turned it to a radio station composed of jazz once," Bonnie tells him as she lets her fingers run against the rough, blue table cloth laying on each table. It was some cheap material for such a fancy mansion as this one.

"That doesn't mean anything. You don't think you're looking a little to deep into things with Damon?"

Bonnie faces Matt as he finally finds their table. "Trust me, I know."

Matt cuts his eyes to the jazz band then back to the table. Bonnie sits down at her spot, which was unconveniently next to Jeremy.

It was so crowding. His presence was so consuming and crowding in the most negative ways. She wanted so badly to tell him off, but instead she tried to calm herself. Her eyes study the lilacs beautifully positioned in the vase. It must have took someone awhile to do each of these so conscientiously.

Bonnie presses her fingertips into her temple, her head leaning down slightly. She swallows, taking a deep breath, and stands up. Matt, Sarah, and Jeremy avert their eyes to her.

"I'll be right back," Bonnie walks away and sighs, relieved. She walks towards the window and opens the glass door to the balcony. Her mouth stretches slightly, and she folds her arms, captivated by the view. A maze in the backyard, not cliche at all. Her forearms rest on the rail and she leans over, closing her eyes and sucking in the still air.

Bonnie pulls out her phone. 3:00. She only wished it could be 3:00 forever. To be in this moment feels like a anticipated fleeting one, and she grips her phone tighter wanting it to last forever.

"Hey," A toneless voice starts behind her. It startled her, not physically, mentally. She blinks and straightens her posture, placing her hands by her side. She knew who it was, and even though she wanted this moment to last forever, this was a much needed, overdue conversation between her and her old love.

She turns her head to the side, seeing a masculine figure in her peripheral, then she turns around fully. Jeremy.

"Hey", Bonnie says with a smile, "How are you?" She faces front again, her eyes following the the maze's paths. Jeremy walks up next to her, looking at the view also. His eyes begin to jump.

"I'm... not that good," He replies, turning to face her. His eyes become filled with grief and pity. Pity for who? He didn't even know.

"If there is something you need to tell me, now would be the time," Bonnie hissed. She didn't turn to face him. Her eyes just drop to the floor. Jeremy slowly blinks and his mouth begins to coil in a bit, then he looks up at the sky and down again.

"What do you want to me to say?" Still toneless, his voice fades as he realizes something. Bonnie finally meets his confused gaze, hers struck with conviction.

"Caroline, Elena, Matt," Bonnie emphasizes each name through her teeth, neglecting to withhold her anger. "They all came to visit while they could, while I was alone on the other side..." Her voice begins to break and she stops to take a moment to gather herself. She faces front again and lifts her chin, inhaling.

Jeremy's lips tremble as he tries to reply: "I had finally moved on."

"Did you?" Bonnie replies in a tone that didn't need a reply. She glares at him. "I really wanted to see you, Jeremy. It really showed how much you cared about what we had when I didn't." She slowly faces forward again, her mouth agape. She felt good. She had thought Jeremy had this pent up resentment and emotion, but she did also.

As she blinks away tears, she feels a shift in her mind, like the blooming of a rose, and her mouth shuts in closure. Jeremy stares at her, his mouth opening in anticipation.

"So, what can we do to mend this?"

"It's mended. This is us now," Bonnie turns her body and faces him. She's confident this is the end, and he can see it all over her. The only thing Jeremy can do is nod. He doesn't want it to end this way, but Bonnie does. He can respect that.

She ends the conversation and turns to look at the maze again. Her and Jeremy could travel that maze and they'd never make it out. It's too complex, intricate, and challenging. He's not willing to meet Bonnie halfway, he's willing to say it, but he's not willing to put actions behind his words. This would lead to them finding their way out separately, and never looking back for each other, because his simplicity isn't enough for Bonnie. It's not enough. She knows this now.

She doesn't know what she wants, but she knows what she doesn't want. And the guy who is standing next to her, is not the guy she thought he was. In retrospect, he never was. He was normalcy, a way to escape this supernatural torture. Her love for him was real, but it was based in normality. And the way she understood things is that being a witch, things never would end well for her. Jeremy was one thing that was good for her.

Things are different now, and she holds the same ideas of herself and herself as a witch. But a guy like Jeremy isn't what she wants now. It's odd, because she wants to be normal and Jeremy is as close to normal as it gets, but that will never happen.

The aura between them jumps into awkward territory. Jeremy steps away from Bonnie, walking towards the glass door. He stops, a pensive look crossing his face. Then, he goes inside.

Bonnie sighs, as a weight feels lifted from her shoulder. She puts her hand on her other arm and looks down at her side, a tight-lipped smile creeping upon her caramel skin. She chuckles.

"BONNIE!"

Bonnie looks up and sees Kai waving in front of the entrance of the maze. He was holding onto a man from the party, who is clearly in distress. Kai points at Bonnie, then at himself. He then takes his fingers across his neck and points at the man. Bonnie raises an eyebrow and shakes her head. Kai shrugs, dragging the guy into the maze until they disappear. Bonnie opens her mouth in concern, then closes it. She doesn't want to get dragged into anything in relation to Kai. Then, she hears the terrifying screams of the man.

_Tread lightly_, Bonnie thought as she runs back into the ballroom.  
>-<p>

Damon stands before the Mystic Falls magic border, his eyes running down the invisible line. Elena was standing next to him, patting her thighs with her hands.

"There has to be a way in," Damon says, his face filled with determination. He felt a slight sting as he reaches over the border a bit.

"Not unless you want to die, Damon," Elena rolls her eyes. She takes a glance at him.

"There's a way in, Elena. You just have got to stop thinking in that limited, realistic process. We are vampires! I died and came back! Bonnie, died twice, and came back, twice! You just got to have hope."

Elena looks away from him, and Damon sighs. She folds her arms.

"You and Bonnie... something happen?" Damon acted like he didn't know, though he did. It just seemed like Elena wanted him to ask that. So, he did. He's been trying lately, to reignite something between them, but there's no spark. Nothing.

"She doesn't want to be friends with me anymore," Elena tells him. "I don't know how I feel about it yet, it was all so abrupt."

"You have to understand... she's going through a lot," Damon speaks in this deep, soft spoken voice. He smiles genuinely, and the corner of his eyes wrinkle as he thinks of Bonnie. "We had each other over there, Elena. Four months. Four long, excruciating, drawn out months with the likes of a stubborn little witch. So, when she ended up alone I knew even Bonnie Bennett couldn't toughen it out."

Elena was surprised at what she heard. He talked about Bonnie as if they'd been friends, but the last thing she knew of them is that they couldn't stand each other. They tolerated each other, and had some understanding, but would never agree to be stuck with one another.

"I'm so confused... you guys actually got along?" Elena asks.

"Well, one way to shut her up is to place some bet. If I won monopoly, she would have to shut up for one night, consistently. So, I would be banker and I'd cheat because that Bonnie... She's a diabolical little mink."

Damon's expression softens up: "Funny thing about that scenario, is that every night I'd win and every night, _I _couldn't shut up. And, not once did she say she didn't want to hear me talk."

Elena pondered this. She'd never seen Damon talk in such sincerity. A smile itched across her face as she stared at him. He smiled back, for a moment, then it faded. His eyes slowly dropped to the grass.

"What?" Elena asked, searching for his eyes.

"Nothing," Damon says, his face lit up. There was something, and it was about Elena. He just couldn't figure it out. He looks at the field before him, into Mystic Falls, and falls into a pensive state.

Stefan walks up and stands beside Elena.

"We should go... find another way," Stefan suggests. Damon cuts his eyes to Stefan's direction. Stefan went looking to find Liv and Luke, hoping that they'll help in trying to remove the magic barrier around Mystic Falls. Damon figures that Stefan couldn't find Liv and Luke, or maybe they didn't want to be found. He swallows, a shiver going through his bones. He turns to face the both of them.

"Why don't we ask Bonnie, I mean I know she's leaving—"

"Wait... wait, wait, wait..." A look of annoyance crosses Damon's lips as they froze, agape. "Did you just say she's leaving?" His voice was thick; a fuse of resentment and fear. His gaze leaves Elena's eyes and travels from point to point, spot to spot, all the while his breaths become rapid.

"She is... why are you acting like you care?" Elena said to him. His eyes widen as he gets closer to her, steaming. Stefan approaches them, stepping closer to Elena from behind.

"You didn't think to tell me?!" Damon yells, not regretting a single word. Stefan narrowed his eyes, surprised by his reaction.

"Damon..." Stefan mumbles over Elena's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"I don't have to think to tell you anything, Damon. Look, I'm sorry I erased those memories. It was selfish of me, but we are NOT in a relationship."

Damon's nose flared for a second. He was so angry with her for not telling her this... but he thought about it. He looked at Stefan, his gaze confounded, then back to Elena, whose glare mused dangerously. He understands now.

"You're right, Elena," Damon begins, "We're not in a relationship. Because if so, if you even remembered a semblance of what we had, maybe you would have thought to tell me."

Damon steps back, taking one last look at the both of them, then zooms away.

Damon knocks on the door to Bonnie's dorm. He waits patiently, for her, for Bonnie to get it. His fingers bounce against the side of his leg as he waits, but no one answers the door. He knocks again, frantically, then stops mid-knock. His eyes narrow and lips part as he thinks about why he is here. It was a pull, an attraction, a link, something. Something directed him here after hearing she was leaving, and he didn't know what it was. He only knew that it felt real.

He jiggles the handle.

"Bonnie," He says, "Bonnie! Open the door," His voice gains some base. He runs a hand through his dark hair, then rests his thumb on his bottom lip. "Bonnie... Caroline!" He yells, then his voice lowers to a mumble as he says this: "Someone."

He jiggles the door handle again. He stops. He takes a step away from the door, and leans his head back slightly. He stares at the door until he isn't so tense anymore. He stares until his eyebrows relax and his blue eyes reduce themselves to inaudible calm oceans. He stares and stares and stares until the bones in his neck feel less rigid. He stares until the bones in his body reflect his flux of a mind, until everything is as serene as the fog of night.

He walks away from Bonnie's dorm, not looking back.

"Kai!" Bonnie shouted standing in front of the entrance to the maze. He didn't reply to her. He was purposefully ignoring her, and it only made Bonnie furious. She wasn't going to let him hurt anyone. She took a look back at the mansion, an attempt to escape her old self, but she doesn't let it take hold. She marches into the maze, feeling suffocated as the narrow, perfectly trimmed bushes surround her.

Up ahead, she sees four pathways traveling vertically and horizontally. When she reaches it, she hears the muffled screams of the man and Kai:

"Stop your incessant cries!" He didn't even try to be silent. Bonnie looks to the left, her bottom lip jutted out.

"Kai, stop playing games," Bonnie says impatiently, walking in his direction. She hears the muffled screams again and sprints to the corner, turning it, and heading down another narrow pathway. She runs past an opening, stops, and runs back to it. It was the man. He was sitting in a chair, with a long rope tied weirdly around his body. It looped around his neck with two ends crossing his torso, going down the sides of his thighs near his buttock, then up through the small space between his thighs. Bonnie looks closer as the rope then is secured around either side of his legs, and knotted at the bottom. It was inescapable.

Bonnie looked up at the black bandana pushing his tongue back, making it so he couldn't talk. She ran up to him as the man cried and shook. Undoing the knot looked impossible, she searched for another way. Leading herself behind the man, she discovered a note. It read:

_This is a trap. - Kai =D_

The man screamed as an arrow pierced his chest. Bonnie looked up, a breath escaping from her mouth, seeing Kai standing up on top of the bushes with his crossbow. He bit his bottom lip and stared at her, charmingly.

"Hello, Bon—whoa!" Kai starts as he loses his balance. He regains it, his arms spread out as he steadies himself. He chuckles, then cackles loudly. "So, we meet again?"

Bonnie's face darkens. She hates him and she hates that he's still around. Just hearing his voice made her cheeks burn. He hops onto the ground and sighs, dramatically, smirking at Bonnie. She takes a step back, running into the stone wall behind her, which was disguised with bushes.

Kai stares at the dead man, itching his head with his crossbow. Bonnie looks down at the man, then at Kai, her mouth wrinkles in disgust.

"You tie him up like this?" Bonnie asks, gawking at him with resentful eyes.

"I did!" Kai says delighted. He shows his bright smile to her, circling around the man to get to her. Bonnie lifts her chin, keeping her eyes planted on him. She steps away, trying to get as far away from him as possible. Her hands travel along the wall, looking for something to defend herself with. "Call it BDSM, call it kinky..." Kai's eyes slowly fall on the dead man's hair, and he strokes it. Bonnie's eyes fill with contempt. She unconsciously inches forward, unnoticeable to Kai. "I call it Kai's guide to getting down!"

He places a finger on the rope that's on the man's neck, and cuts his eyes to Bonnie, who is slowly moving towards the exit. Kai lifts his crossbow at her while tilting his head.

"Get that away from me," Bonnie tells him in a singsong voice.

"Stop trying to leave," Kai replies in a mocking tone. "We have to talk."

"Then, speak. And stop stroking that dead man's hair."

Kai looks down at his hand, in which was still rubbing the man's hair. His eyes widen in embarrassment and he pulls away from the man. "So," Kai begins, flicking his fingers spontaneously as if the man's hair had a lot of dandruff, "I still can't go anywhere." His eye's meets Bonnie's, who sarcastically smiles and shakes her head.

"Again, what does this have to do with me?" Bonnie, still looking for a way out, slid her hands into her back pocket, continuing to walk back out to the maze.

"Again, you don't have your magic. So, stop trying to leave or I'm going to shoot you."

Bonnie quickly draws a throwing knife from her pocket, whipping her wrist and arm towards Kai in a swift and smooth motion. Bonnie opens her mouth in shock as the knife got Kai in the stomach, and she hears a voice in her head. A familiar, annoying voice.

"No! No, no, no, no, no!" Damon looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Bonnie traced the veins in his wrist up to his forearm as he clawed at the air. He was so frustrated, so disheartened that Bonnie couldn't get this knife throwing thing down.

"It's hard!" Bonnie yells, standing in the center of the Salvatore kitchen.

"Try harder!" Damon yells back at her, walking up to her. Bonnie narrows her eyes at him, then looks away, holding back her animosity. Damon smacks his teeth, walking past her. "You just have got to stop thinking about it." He stops and turns around. "Face me, okay."

Bonnie sighs and turns around, holding the small knife in her hand. She throws her hands up, midair: "What?"

"We don't really get along, you know, and I'd hate for you to one day be pissed I rained on your witchy parade, which by the way you're doing an awful job at now-"

"I'm still-"

Damon puts a finger up. "Let me finish." Bonnie sighs, frustratedly and focuses on the china cabinet behind him. "And I don't want us to be apart and you not have your powers and not be able to handle yourself against whomever is here with us. I want you to feel protected... is that so weird to ask?"

"It is, actually," Bonnie walks past him, "I'm the last person you'd want to protect."

"But you're the only person who's by my side... right now."

After a brief pause, Bonnie nods.

"Okay, I'm going to try again. And this time, I'm going to get it!" She grins.

"Ha ha! That's the Bonnie I know!"

Damon claps his hands together and rubs them, preparing himself for Bonnie's attempt. Her target's been spot on, probably because it's him, but he's looking for accuracy.

Bonnie puts her hand behind her back, then whips it out with the knife leaving her wrist. It flips towards Damon, who catches it. He spins it in his hand while the perfect paleness of his cheeks creased a solace smile.

"Try it again," Damon says, tossing the knife back to her. She catches it, putting her hand behind her back.

Damon sat on the stairs, which were not too far from Bonnie's dorm. His leg bounced as he waited for Bonnie to return home. He'd called her, he'd text her, he'd done every type of communication to reach her. He looked down at his leg, where a folded piece of paper was, and his leg stopped bouncing.

"Damon?" A squeaky voice shouted his name, he looked up, his thin lips forming an oval. His mouth slowly closes as he sees Caroline. He stands up, walking down the steps towards her. "Elena's not here."

"I know," Damon replied.

"So, why are you?" Caroline questioned. She waited for an answer, but his unwavering eyes transmitted nothing. She shrugged, got out her keys and unlocked her dorm. She stopped, and turned around. "Did you need something, Damon?"

Damon shook his head, and stepped away. Caroline goes into her dorm and closes the door. He walks back to the stairs and sits, interlocking his fingers and putting them up to his mouth.


	4. Pretty Girl

Spit slid between Bonnie's perked lips, down like an elastic rubber band to touch the calm water that was inside the paper cup. She wiped her mouth and looked over at the short, black rope entangled on the table. She quickly grabbed it and hovered it over the cup. Peeking over her shoulders, she sees Kai is still out from her knife throw, sprawled out on the dirt floor.

The two are just outside of the Mystic Falls border, in an abandoned barn on the brink of falling apart. Her magic was only successful outside of the border, so she brought him here. To keep him incapacitated and under her will. Maybe her relationship with Elena was founded on innocence, but it was further constructed by treachery. They learned to get what they want, to save themselves, and sometimes, at the expense of others.

Bonnie looked up at the broken ladder above her, leading to an upper area in the barn, trying to picture that girl. Long dark curls and an honest smile from cheek to cheek; it's a moment of the past now. That girl reminiscent of a distant friend moved like the wind; sudden yet unforgettable.

She dipped the rope in the cup and swirled it around, thinking about how Damon knew Kai was attracted to her before she even realized it. It was embarrassing, even if it was just Damon. _Damon, _she thought. The corner of her mouth stretched.

Kai groans and Bonnie turned around, making her way over to him. She analyzed his body, her eyes wandering from his head to his neck to his nicely built torso and she thought of every horrible, torturous thing she could do to him.

_It's just the two of us_, Bonnie thought. Her head turned to the side as her devilish eyes stayed planted on his cute face. _Just the two of us, and no one would ever know._ Her eyes narrowed as she looks at the knife, still deep in his gut. She grips it and pulls it out, evoking a striking pain within his abdomen. He flinches.

As she stands up to get the chair, she feels a sharp pain in her lower left abdomen, faltering a bit in her strut. It doesn't concern her. Not as much as Kai concerns her.

She grabs the chair, pulling it across the dirt and putting it next to Kai. Shuffling around the chair, she reaches under Kai and gets a grip of his light blue, jean jacket. She grunts when pulling Kai up and onto the chair. His eyes blink softly, as his dizzying vision focuses itself. One of his arms drops off his lap and to the side while Bonnie walks over to the cup.

The rope is twisted and twined in itself like a black ball of water snakes. The sun seeps through the cracks of the wooden boards of the barn. Little slits of sunlight shine into the cup. As Kai sighs, slowly awakening from his involuntary slumber, Bonnie reaches into the cup and pulls out the rope. She walks back over to Kai, watching the effects of her knife throw dissipate from his body. He's fighting it. Bonnie had soaked the knife in a synthetic sleeper immediately taking effect on impact. She knew that Mystic Falls being free of vampires didn't mean there was less danger, it just meant less danger of the supernatural kind.

She tied Kai's hands behind the chair with the black rope. It dripped onto the dirt floor, forming small puddles of brown grain. Bonnie looks up at the back of Kai's tilted head and stands up. She circles around to the front of him to study his woozy face.

Her phone starts vibrating and she looks down at her pants, reaching in her pocket. A single bang falls down from behind her ear, and she whips her head back up, staring at Kai as he moves slow and lethargic-like.

"Hello," Bonnie said as she presses the phone against her ear. She hears nothing at first, just silence. She swallowed. Then the corner of her eyes crinkled and she felt something lift inside of her. Silence is nothing of the unfamiliar when it's something grown accustom to with another individual. This person for Bonnie happens to be, non-other than the witty and unlawfully charming Damon Salvatore. She sighs so happily, rubbing her forehead with her palm.

She hears a deep chuckle from the other line. "Hey Bonnie," Damon replied.

Bonnie turned around and she could have sworn she saw Damon's wry smile in the several rays of the sun. Or maybe she was drowning in happiness that it's what she wanted to see. Either way, it put a big, unregretful smile on her face.

"Hey," Bonnie said, as if it was a secret she was keeping. She takes a step, wondering why he called. And she was prepared to ask him but she loved this silence. A part of it had an allure to it; it brought her back into a world where she saw herself. All of her _self. _

Her chest rises as she begins to sigh, and relieve herself of this selfishness, because this was selfish. To Bonnie, using Damon, this weird bond they've formed, to make her feel good is kind of selfish. She blames it on him though, for starting these moments in 1994. It was him.

"What do you want?" Bonnie asks, smiling.

"I want you to let me out of this!" Kai screams from behind her. Bonnie rolls her eyes, and before Damon could say anything, _anything_, Bonnie just said: "I have to go Damon, I'm sorry."

She hangs the phone up and glowers at Kai.

"I'm sorry," Kai begins, "Did I just cock-block?" He smirks, continuing in his sarcastic tone: "I did, didn't I?"

Bonnie hated his snarky looks. She continues to stare at him, infuriated, as she approaches him.

"You could say, I've been cock-blocking since 1994?" Kai says, revealing a smile shortly after.

"Shut up," Bonnie says, her arms crossed while she stands in front of him. Kai opens his mouth, about to say something, but he cocks his head. His eyes trace over every inch of Bonnie's body. He starts to show that adorable smile, and Bonnie turns her head, getting a little freaked out. It was such a waste of a higher power's effort to create an attractive face on a psychotic person.

"Mh, mh, mh," Kai hummed, wanting so badly to jump Bonnie's bones. To one, do pleasurable things to a pretty girl. And two, do unforgiving and sinful things to her unscathed and smooth skin. He bites at her making the sound of a clink.

"Don't look at me that way," Bonnie said, turning away in disgust.

"What am I doing here, Bonnie? Are you finally going to tell me why you've been keeping me around?" Kai asked. Bonnie turns back around, searching for even just a bit of sarcasm. Too bad he was serious, which was to Bonnie's dissatisfaction. She just wanted to jam her knife right back into the wound, maybe he'll realize that she is not the one keeping him here.

"Kai, I'm going to tell you this once and for the last time, I have no idea what you are talking about," Bonnie tells him. Kai shakes his head, angrily, as if he knows Bonnie is lying. He starts shifting around in his chair, trying to get out, flailing around like a little child. Bonnie shakes her head playfully and grins. "I spelled the rope with a technique I learned when YOU left me by myself in 1994. I just want to say thank you."

Kai tries to calm his breathing as he stared at the floor. His face is still coiled in madness, and his eyes avert to Bonnie. "What's this technique you learned?" Kai was interested, a bit. Maybe.

Bonnie could still hear the seriousness in his voice, but it was different this time. She assumed it was compliance, not interest, which provoked this seriousness. And that he realized that he wasn't the one in charge this time. She was.

"Just an old spell book I found while alone in 1994," Bonnie said to him. He looked away from her, then back again. He sat up straight and clenched his teeth. He wasn't going anywhere, not unless Bonnie would let him.

"Which taught you how to do what?"

Bonnie let out a laugh. "If you're wondering about that little disappearing act you and your family are so good at, don't worry. It's Parker family exclusive."

Kai narrows his eyes at Bonnie, and she saw his jaws suck in a bit. He flared his nostrils, trying to put his anger in a good place. He sighed through his nose, giving Bonnie a fake smile that stretched across his face as he leaned forward.

"Then what?" Kai said, his patience thinning, "What? What exactly did you do that was so good, so clever that merits a mention by the likes you to the likes of me?"

"My spit is covered in that rope," Bonnie said, a serious edge in her voice. Not a smirk or a smile on her face. She just lifted her chin proudly and watched Kai squirm like a leech in the sun. A leech. That's exactly what he was.

"Ew!" Kai begin moving again, but he stopped suddenly. Looking up into the corner of the barn, he should have known he wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. She is a Bennett. He tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth as he chuckled. He really should have seen this coming. "You're very dirty, Bennett." Kai's brow jumped up and down as he looked at her. "I'd love to see how that plays out in the bedroom."

Bonnie looked on in absolute revulsion. Kai's face shook, as if he'd felt a cold chill, and his mouth opened slowly as he imagined Bonnie in her bedroom. With him. His tongue made a clicking sound his it dropped from the roof of his mouth to the bottom.

"You know why you're here, don't you?" Bonnie said.

"Yeah. I do. Let me guess, you're sick of being followed by me?"

"Correct," Bonnie quickly replied back.

"Well, one of us is lying."

"Well, then I guess it's time for a little sleuth or poof!"

Kai's bottom lip shifted to the side as his nerves swelled up inside of him. No trace of futile sincerity crossed Bonnie's face as he observed her. Anxious, he knew he had to choose one of two choices. He could latch onto his animosity that's growing inside of him and use it as a tool to escape, or just try to find out what her motives are.

He swallowed, following Bonnie as she circled around him like a vulture. "What do you mean, poof?" He felt like a dead squirrel struggling to retain the last few minutes of his life. Like prey, all of a sudden.

Bonnie smiled, her eyes peering down at Kai's fluffy, black hair. "You know what I mean, silly!"

Kai's nerves crept over every inch of his body and he felt himself relegating into a position he'd never once been in before… submission. "But I thought you said that the disappearing act was a Parker family exclusive?" He taps his foot, in sync with his beating heart constantly beating faster and faster. He sees the sway of Bonnie's hand in his lower peripheral and swallows again, closing his eyes.

Bonnie ran her hands through hair. Shudders of Kai's breath went into her ears. She stops in front of him, leaning down to his face. She puts a hand in his hair, massaging it softly. Kai opens his eyes, meeting hers with conflict. "When did I ever say I was going to make you disappear?" She stares, her mouth agape, and Kai could have sworn he saw a twinkle in her eyes. "I have better, more dismemorable ways…"

He couldn't take it anymore.

She drags her delicate fingers to the side of his face and cups it, "…of making you go… _poof_."

As Bonnie pulls her hand away, Kai tries to bite it and his top lip drags along her palm.

"What're you DOING to me?!" Kai said, his anger erupting. And it felt good. He was completely done with the mind games Bonnie is throwing at him. It was the first time he'd realized how scary she is. Or how scary she can be.

"You're nervous."

"You're wrong," Kai growled, letting his rage in. It was like a drug for him.

"You're nervous," Bonnie glares at him. "Admit it." She places her hands on his knees and his foot stops tapping. All of his attention is given to her as their faces are inches from each other. "You're doing this."

"Wow, Bonnie, I didn't know you were capable of being sexy. What're you going to do? Kiss me?" Kai perks his lips and Bonnie turns away, grossed out. Kai lets out a throaty chuckle, his lips thinning.

"You wish." She walks a few steps away, then stops and turns back around. "But what I am going to do is ask you a series of questions. Answer one wrong and… poof. 555-ByeKai." Bonnie winks at him and Kai's face shakes as if he's about to explode. A burst of deep screams come from his mouth.

Bonnie tries not to laugh as Kai's face is flushed red. She places a finger on her chin, thinking about the first question. It's bothering him and she knows. And as he stares at her with malevolent intent, he knows that she knows.

"Calm down," Bonnie says. Kai huffs through his mouth and the tingling sensation bouncing in his bones starts to go away. There was something about her voice, he couldn't quite decipher what, but there was a powerfulness to it that he gravitated to. He locked eyes with her just as she was opening her mouth.

"So," Bonnie folds her arms and takes a step closer to him, "What's your motive here, Kai? What's the move? Why haven't you left?"

Kai had to hold back a laugh because again and again he's told her he doesn't know. He drops his head, then lifts his eyes back up to her impatient face.

"I told you, Bonnie," Kai's voice lows to build sincerity, "I don't know."

"That's not going to work for me," Bonnie told him straight.

Kai angrily replied, while lifting his head up to her, "You're pissing me off, girl."

"Likewise, _boy_. And remember what position you're in right now," Bonnie's arms fall to her sides as she steps in front of Kai, "I could make you cry if I wanted too."

Kai flinches at her from his chair, staring at her intensely. "Then do it."

Bonnie's fist balls up and she throws it into Kai's nose, stumbling onto him after the hit.

"Ah! Fuck, Bonnie!"

She felt a sting in her knuckles, especially when she pressed her palms onto Kai's shoulders to lift herself off of him. He turned to look at her, his lips almost grazing hers, and he took a deeper breath as he watched her. The tiniest bit of shame stretches into his eyes as he looked at her, his mouth agape.

"Ass," Bonnie mutters, pushing herself off of him. He closes his mouth, stepping out of his hypnotic trance. He stuck his tongue in his cheek and rubbed his fingers along his nostril, seeing blood on his fingers. He shoots a look at Bonnie, his eyes thinning slightly. The warm thickness of blood rests on his tongue as he sticks his finger into his mouth.

Bonnie's brow furrows in reaction to Kai, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Letting himself delve into serious territory, he studies her for a moment. Bonnie notices his seriousness, though subtle, but doesn't acknowledge it. She just considers it's one of his many mind games and continues to glare at him unapprovingly. He down casts his eyes, then flicks his gaze back up at her and delivers a charming smile.

"Just trying to set the mood…" Kai cocks his head to the side, "Is that why that punch was so powerful? Did you," He taps under his nostril, "use your magic?"

Bonnie touches the skin under her nostril and feels blood. She stares at the blood in amazement, then wipes her nose with her hand.

"You have two seconds—" Bonnie starts, the tone of her voice on the verge of collapse.

"Jo," Kai quickly interrupts her. Bonnie looks at him attentively, shaking her head. She always knew he was hiding something. "Jo is my sister and I think she's the one keeping me here."

Bonnie slowly sits on the dirt floor. "Jo, the woman who works at the hospital. Elena's mentor."

"Good job. Putting two and two together."

Bonnie gives him a sarcastic smile, before indulging in her own impatience. "Well, go on."

"Look, I don't know if this is it… but I literally cannot leave an area sometimes, it's like I'm in an invisible case or something. And every time I find myself trapped somewhere, I find you."

"Get to the point."

"The point is, Miss Impatient, is that there is something magical about it. My sister's a witch, and so are you. One of you is doing it."

Bonnie raises her brow, "It's not me."

Kai nods, turning his head to look elsewhere. He knew she would say that, but he thought she deserved to at least know the full story. Bonnie placed her hands behind her and leaned back.

"Though, there was one place where I didn't feel like I was trapped..." Kai says, facing Bonnie. She waits for him to continue, but he doesn't.

"What?"

"Mystic Falls."

Bonnie's eyes search the barn. "The no magic border," Bonnie says delighted. She hates that a psychopathic nutcase is following her around, and anything close to finding answers will make her feel better. Safer. Kai assumes this is the case as he licks his bottom lip and watches the corner of her eyes wrinkle.

He doesn't wallow in that though. He just found potential freedom… Mystic Falls.

"The no magic border," Bonnie repeats feeling rejuvenated, "Maybe there is something to your magic theory…"

Bonnie stands up and dusts herself off.

"Yeah, so is it you?"

"I think we ought to pay your sister a visit."

Kai shifted his wrists in the rope, peering over his shoulder. "You think so?"

Bonnie turns her head, surprised at Kai's remark. He was the one who continued to harass her about this problem of his. And now that she's willing to help, he's retracting.

"Yeah. I do."

"Too bad. I don't trust you," Kai divulges. "You're a Bennett, you've threatened to make me go poof, whatever that means, and you have every reason to hate me… I don't trust you."

He was honest, and Bonnie could sense a lingering fear in his voice, but the lack of Kai wit and wry smiles made for a very genuine look. It empowered her, but she knew what she should be focusing on.

"I'm not asking for you to trust me."

Bonnie's phone starts vibrating again and she turns around. She pulls it out of her pocket and sees three missed calls from Damon. Hearing the sound of something snapping, she whips back around to see Kai standing in front of the broken pieces of the chair. A whispered gasp forces itself from her mouth.

"Well, would you look at that?" Kai asked before he pushes Bonnie through the wooden boards with her absorbed magic. Bonnie rolled onto the green grass, stopping on her stomach. She wrinkles her mouth as she averts her eyes back to him. "Looks like that little technique of yours isn't as powerful as my rage."

Bonnie picks herself up, lifting the broken boards up around her as she stood. Her head slowly leans back as she wobbles a bit, her bottom lip hanging down.

"This is the end," she says softly as the boards around her instantly catch fire and her arm raises towards him. Kai turns and bolts into the barn. Bonnie pushes her hand in his direction and the wooden boards fly at him.

He looks back and ducks just in time, leaving one of the boards to crash into the wall. He hops trips over a hill of dirt as the rest of the wooden boards smash, creating a small fire that outlines a hole formed in the barn walls.

Kai desperately looks at the hole. He pushes off of his toes to make it out but stops when he sees Bonnie run into the barn. His mouth drops as he takes a step back, trying to read Bonnie's intense face. She raises a brow at his trepidation.

He looks behind him seeing that there is no way to run, just the decaying wooden walls of the barn. His breathing calms as he realizes he's trapped. He purses his lips into a smirk and turns to face Bonnie, smiling to show all of his teeth.

"Can we talk about this at all?" Kai pleads. Bonnie replies by putting her palm up at him and lowering her gaze. Kai backs up until he is against a wall, forgetting that there's no more running.

He coughs. His tongue moves over his lower lip and he tastes blood. His body jerks forward as he coughs again, bending over. Bonnie takes a step towards him and she coughs too. She blinks, looking around the room and feeling disoriented.

The tightening around Kai's neck loosens and he looks up to see Bonnie coughing again.

She wipes her finger across her lips and sees blood on it. She gasps, hearing footsteps quickly fall against the ground. She looks up to see Kai hopping out of the barn through the fiery hole. She chases after him, but stumbles and falls onto the chair.

Almost suddenly, the pain went away. Bonnie pondered what happen as she watched Kai run back into Mystic Falls.

"Where's Bonnie?" Matt whispered to Jeremy as he sat down at the table. Jeremy shrugged, and Matt exchanged a look with Sarah that had her shifting her gaze to the man speaking up on the podium.

"Matt Donavon!" The man on the podium startled Matt. He itched his head as his nerves got the better of him, and the curious eyes of the applauding individuals averted to him. He'd forgotten for a quick moment that he was giving his acceptance speech today, because he wanted Bonnie to be here so badly. Matter of fact, as he pressed his lips together to give a warm look and walked up to the podium, maybe he wanted all of his friends there.

Then, he remembered they were vampires, and he looked at Sarah, and as he arrived to the podium that appealing grin crossed over his face.

"Well," Matt cleared his throat, still a little shaken about being caught off guard, "I'd just like to first thank Mr. Stevens for that wonderful introduction. I really appreciated that…"

Silence. Complete and unruly silence. He looked at all the considerate eyes in the audience, glamorous and fashionable in their looks, and could not remember a time where so many people cared about what he thought. He was being promoted to Trip's position in his community protection group, and he didn't have anything to say.

"Oh," Matt blurts, remembering he wrote pointers on index cards just in case he arrived in the scenario he found himself in now. He reaches into his pocket while giving a smile to the audience, then he sees Kai enter in from the balcony, dusting himself off inconspicuously.

Kai looked behind him, seeing Bonnie sprinting from outside the maze. He speeded up his steps and weaved between the tables and to the doors to the hall.

Bonnie approaches the stairs in the back yard of the Fell mansion. She walked up the curved staircase up to the balcony. Looking inside through the windows, she sees people clapping. Then, she looks on stage and sees Matt being patted on the back by a man. Matt looked so proud and happy, a bit overwhelmed, but happy all the same. Suddenly, his smile drifted his usual brooding face, and his eyes narrowed with intent. Bonnie followed his gaze and found him looking at Sarah, who nodded as Bonnie lay eyes on her. She stood, and walked out of the ballroom to the hall, as if she was on a mission.

Bonnie reached for the handle when she saw herself in clear glass. Hell-bent eyes and lips shrunken from pain and hatred. She could see the physical change in herself. An eerie and frightening surprise, developing in her body, in every aspect of her, in secret.

_It could have been different_, she thinks as she looks at her reflection, darkened by the bright rays of the sun.

She looks closer and sees a familiar face through the glass window, and through the fleeting movements of people… Kai. She swings open the door and watches him whisk away from the door on the other side of the ballroom.

"Bonnie!" She hears Matt call her name and turns to see him waving off people who wanted to talk with him.

Bonnie conjures up a smile. "Look at you," She says while pushing his shoulder a bit.

Humble, Matt doesn't smile too hard. "Hey, what's going on? Why is Kai here?"

"He's been following me."

"What?"

"Look, I need to find him. You go… be the leader you were meant to be."

Matt starts to shake his head and in classic Matt fashion, put others before himself. "But—"

"I'm serious. Kai is a dangerous person, he will ruin everything you have here," Bonnie quickly tells him, "He'll ruin you."

"I'd rather that then have him ruin you."

Bonnie averts her eyes to another place, lifting her chin, then back to Matt. "It's too late for me."

Matt understood. He gave no indication of it, but he didn't have to.

Bonnie brushes past him and he latches onto her fingers, stopping her. His lips part and he turns to look at her, a spark of sympathy in his blue globes. He pulls her back and hugs her.

Bonnie rubs his back and pulls away and they exchange looks with one another.

"Congratulations, Matt," Bonnie says congenially, turning around and heading towards the door.

_1994_

Bonnie whips into the Salvatore mansion driveway with Damon's Camaro. While she's pulling up, she sees Damon walking outside of the mansion with just pants. As she parks the car in front of the mansion, he places his hands on his hips.

"Someone's mad," Bonnie says to herself while putting the car in park. She turns to look at Damon, who was nibbling on his bottom lip.

"You stole my car," Damon announced, a little aggravated.

"You stole my peace," Bonnie retorts. "Also, don't stand like that. You look like a very disappointed father."

"Only because you act like a goddamned child," Damon replied, defensively.

"Did I hit a nerve?" Bonnie asks, while getting out of the car.

"What were you doing driving MY car?"

"I was scoping out the town. No one," Bonnie sighs, her gaze drifting to the hood of the car, "There is no one else here. Just us."

Damon could sense the torture in her voice, and he saw it in her face also. She was so good at making the best out of a dire situation, but sometimes she'd slip up. It could be the minimal shift in her lip, a tremble, or the way she lifts her chin as if she's placing those irreverent thoughts into a distant place only she can tap into.

He sucks in a breath before teasing, "So, how does it drive?"

"Well," Bonnie said.

_Present_

Damon gripped the steering wheel of his Camaro. The memories of him and Bonnie passed through his mind vivid and quick throughout the day.

_Every day,_ he thought as he sat back in his seat. It beget more questions than answers of their time in 1994, and it always leave him confused. It leaves him following a hunch. It always leads him to Bonnie.

He opens the door and steps out onto curb, focusing on Bonnie's dorm in Whitmore.

Moments later, he knocked on her door and Caroline answered. A breath of air escapes him when he sees it her and not Bonnie. His hand dropped from the air and into his back pocket as he flashed a smile at Caroline.

"You're here, again…" Caroline says. "Elena…"

"Wait," Damon says, his eyes growing wide at Caroline. He pulls her out of the room and shuts the door, seeing Elena's quaint face before it shuts. "I'm not looking for Elena. I'm looking for you."

"Why?" Caroline asks, incredulously.

"Because. I think we could convince Bonnie to stay."

"Sure, yeah, I can. But you…?"

Damon itches his cheek with his thumb and licks his lips, then gives Caroline the coldest look.

"Yes," In a serious tone, he replies, "Now please." Damon nods his head to the left and Caroline thins her lips together, sighing. "Just wait in my car."

She walks pass him. He watches her until she gets to the doors, then his eyes drop to the floor and they scatter frantically across it. He turns around, looking behind him. But he doesn't find it. The wrinkles on his forehead begin to crease, until the feeling of hope enters his body. His mouth drops within the sudden realization that maybe, just maybe, Bonnie got it.

The room to her door swings open and Elena is standing there, holding a note and glaring at Damon.

"What are you doing with that?" Damon asks.

"Who's this note to?" Elena asks, but Damon doesn't answer. "Damon!"

"It's to Bonnie!" Damon yelled, the veins in his neck appearing from frustration. "So, give it to me."

"What happen between you two in 1994?" Elena asks, a disgusted look on her face.

"We survived, Elena."

Damon figured, those words would shut her up, because he was tired of arguing with her. He was just so exhausted of it. Elena exhausted him, and he wished these words would shut her up. But, instead, they hit her like a train. Damon saw it in her face.

"What does that mean?" She questioned him.

"It means I'm not obligated to tell you anything!"

"Why? If we were SO in love, why wouldn't you tell me that?"

Damon shrugs. "If you want to know something, why don't you go ask your best friend Bonnie… who needs you right now!"

"She said she didn't want to be friends anymore!"

"So?" Damon's frustration culminated into animosity, as Elena's stubbornness reversed into stupidity. "You don't just throw away a history you have with someone! It is impossible to pretend that every moment, everything you've shared is easily disposable… I will never believe that. And I will never forget what you did. Because it fucking hurt."

Damon walked up to Elena and snatched the note from her hands, then stormed down the hall. He didn't look back. He couldn't. He didn't know how much it affected him that Elena erased every memory of them, until now. He just knew it hurt, but now it feels like an open, incurable wound.

He gets into his car and turns it on, looking at Caroline in the passenger seat.

"You ready to go?" He asks her.

Caroline nods, giving a pleasantly wry smile, "Let's bring her home."

"That's the problem. She is… home."


	5. I Can Be the Answer

_1994_

It was a rupture in his thinking. Riding through the empty, lifeless streets of Mystic Falls and there being no activity. Bright, blue skies combing over the sun while Damon's brow rose effortlessly at the deserted picture of his home. His lips wrinkled inward as he moved his gaze to Bonnie, sitting with her feet up on the dash and reading some old book she told him was collecting dust. The wind rushed past her and the strands beside her face flew up every few moments.

It was almost four months, and he'd asked her to ride with him.

"Where?" She asked. Damon had searched her voice for the slightest indication of acrimony.

"Just around," He replied, casually, but assuming she'd say no. But, she didn't. She reached for her book off the kitchen table and moved past him. At first, he wondered where she was going and why she didn't give him an answer. If she was anything, the girl was talkative, and especially when she's trying to get a rise out of him. But, he thought about it and knew just exactly what the answer was.

When he stepped out onto the porch, lit vaguely by the scorching sun, his lips curled into a smile in the shadows. There she was sitting in the car, waiting for him.

_Present_

Driving in his Camaro, Damon remembered his car rides with Bonnie. He remembered how there were these rare, sensuous moments where silence is consumptive, but only in the uplifting and primed sentiments, and he longed for it. Especially sitting opposite of Caroline Forbes, one who never stops talking.

"Hey, Caroline, do you ever shut up?" He asked her, and her mouth hung open a minute while delivering a sharp stare, then she sighed and looked out the window.

It's not that Bonnie didn't talk. She did, mostly, but he loved moments where he could sit in the company of her and feel comfortable enough to engage in his own activity. I think he loved it so much because it was with Bonnie, a girl who he supposedly couldn't stand, and that sent a burst of elation throughout his body.

Damon and Caroline walk into the wondrous Whitmore Library. Damon clasps his hands together, analyzing the huge library. Tall, burgundy colored ceilings with built-in depression-inducing lights. _If brooding was a color, it'd be that light_, he thought as he glanced at it. His eyes dropped to the first floor of the not-so-quiet study hall where students mingled and talked with each other at the many brown tables organized on the blue and burgundy patterned carpet. He followed Caroline, walking in between the tables and towards the information desk.

Damon slammed a ton of books on the table in front of Caroline, even on top of the book she was reading.

"What is this?" She asked, staring at the books in astonishment. She stands up and starts sifting through the books.

"More books!" Damon responded enthusiastically, then sucks on his bottom lip. "We're going to get in there."

"Damon, we've tried to—"

"I don't care. If you really want to help me, if you really want to go home, then help me. No more doubt, alright?"

"Okay…"

A student walks up behind Damon with more books and he steps out of the way. She drops the books onto the table and Caroline shakes her head, glancing at the girl like she had disrespected her.

"Here you are, Professor Salvatore," The girl with the golden complexion says, "All the books under Supernatural, sub witches, travelers, and spells."

Caroline looks at Damon with crude suspicion and Damon smiled at her scrutinizing looks, then turns his gaze back to the girl. "Thanks," He said, looking deeply in her eyes, "You can go now."

The girl walks away and Caroline throws Damon a disapproving look. "Compelling a girl to do all your work? Neat."

"I had to make a call, so I asked the next prettiest girl that caught my eye… Don't shoot me those looks like I asked her to let me bite her. There's only one girl I want to _bite_."

That call he had to make was to Bonnie. He pulled his phone out and dialed her number, a little surprised it was saved in his phone. He shouldn't be though, she was the one to call when something went wrong, which sharply separates itself from this small gesture. He had called her once before, when he thought she was dead, because there was a bruise left in his body when she'd sent him back. And he just wanted to hear her voice, hoping for the bubbly, blunt one that revealed itself all too much in 1994. At the time, the last time he'd heard her she was in a desperate, pleading state, and her voice forced from her mouth through tears and he wanted to erase that so badly.

Damon chuckled, freeing a sigh at the sound of her delicate and soft _hello_, and he replied "Hey Bonnie." He stared down at his dark boots, scraping them against the floor in the library atrium.

"Hey," He could see Bonnie's incandescent smile as she said this and he didn't know what to say. He just knew her voice was like a light, and he wanted to follow it, and he wanted to tell her of its luminous quality, but something held him back. Was it the silence that quickly arrived after they greeted each other or was it something else? Something else that would not only suggest a cheesiness, and a laugh from her end, but suggest something _else_? He couldn't even bring himself to say it in his mind.

As he began to ask her about how she was, he heard someone else on other end shouting. And just like that, she hung up.

_Kai_, Damon thought, _the actual spawn of Satan_.

He sat across from Caroline and picked up a book. He was going to get inside of Mystic Falls to get to Bonnie, especially if she's making company with a psychotic fiend as devious as Kai.

Bonnie pressed her ear against the plywood door, hearing a familiar set of voices likely in a disagreement. A couple looked on suspiciously as Bonnie glanced behind her. She turned her gaze to the doorknob and turned it. The door creaked soundly open. She steps inside, her lips parting instantly. Kai and Sarah stood opposite each other in this study as if battle lines have been drawn. She took a look at Bonnie then walked up to the desk in the middle of the room, picked up a book, and launched it at Kai. He put his arms and leg up to protect himself, while glaring at her offensively.

"Hey!" Kai screams at her, "Do not throw books, bitch!"

Sarah gasped. Incredulously, her brow raised as she stepped around the desk, tracing her finger along the dust-filled top.

"Do you know what a bitch is?" She asked, stopping in front of the desk and waiting patiently for an answer. Kai's head shifts to the window and Bonnie's eyes narrowed.

_He can try that if he wants to,_ she thought as she watched him carefully. She wasn't letting him go anywhere. Not until they figured out what was keeping him bound here, or… even scarily, bound to her. Sarah didn't have the smallest hint of letting up, and it was easy for her to be so adamant. She wore it so well, like a dress hugging her in elegance, because it was made for her. It was made for her vulpine face and cunning grin. The same grin Bonnie noticed cross her face as Kai opened his mouth to speak.

"A bitch is a female dog. Now do I look like a dog to you?" Sarah questioned. It was like she was manipulating him, and just as he would with Bonnie, the bones in his body feel like they're shaking. They're burning and he exhales, letting the breath leave him slowly. Bonnie noticed his temper rising and she takes a step just as his eyes move from the floor to hers.

"Or am I weak?" Sarah continues, but Kai's gaze is on Bonnie. She's not glaring. She's not gawking, but she is looking at him. Not in aggression or a burning sensation, and if it is a burning one it is only with good intention. As his breathing calms and he hears the rapidness go steady, he's confused. Looking away, he is confused.

His eyes moved back to Sarah, and he reverts into a calm, yet villainous demeanor. Bonnie continues to watch him. She doesn't want to think about it, but did she just help lower his temper? Her eyes cut to the pastel painting of some guy on the wall, and she wonders if that was true. Kai makes her livid, yet is his source of tranquility. Her body feels hot. She steps in front of Sarah, almost unable to control her movements.

"Or am I a bitch because I tossed you across the room—" Sarah continues to babble, but Bonnie cuts her off:

"You have a look of murder in your eyes," Bonnie says, her arm up to guard Kai, though he was considerably far behind her. If Sarah wanted, she could move pass Bonnie and attack him. That's if Bonnie let her. Would she?

"Keen eye for such a troubled girl," Sarah stated, her mouth forming into a frown. She was mocking Bonnie. "HEY!" Sarah screamed, pointing past Bonnie to Kai. Bonnie turns around and sees Kai jumping through the glass window and onto the roof. She and Sarah run to the window and watch Kai roll off the roof, onto the ground.

They exchange agitated looks, and Bonnie storms off to the door. Sarah follows closely behind her.

"Look what you did. We had him!" Sarah said, marching behind Bonnie.

Bonnie turns around, stopping Sarah in her place. "Who are you? And why are fucking Matt while with Jeremy?"

Bonnie knew the girl was full of secrets. And it wasn't difficult to decipher the one of her and Matt. The lovelorn glances, as if the both of them have been searching and searching through miles of destitution for someone. The conversations they'd have with each other, without opening their mouths, like they existed in a world built by the both of them. And only them. The emotional attraction kept hidden in their eyes. It was obvious. Jeremy had to be stupid to not see it, because it was so obvious. Or maybe Bonnie just has firsthand experience with a relationship like this. Though, Bonnie has reason. What were Sarah and Matt's excuse for not being together?

Sarah's look devolved into embarrassment. Her arms swung behind her back and her head dropped, just as Matt walked up to save her.

"She's Damon's niece," Matt told Bonnie and at the slightest mention of him, she feels a surge of happiness through her body. She forgets about Kai, or the fact that Damon has other family, and she remembers her small stint with him in 1994. The vacation.

"I came here to find out more about my family," Sarah continues, her hands interlocking with Matt's. And there Bonnie was again, thinking of Damon and how close to subconscious it was when they interlocked fingers before the other side imploded. She just needed to see him.

Bonnie watched as Matt and Sarah retracted hands, looking past her. Bonnie turned around and saw Jeremy. A placid expression, that seemed to never leave his face, wore itself there now. He did blink, that familiar slow and dejected one, and started off down the stairs.

Matt raced past Bonnie, as did Sarah, to probably explain it to him. Explain what?

_We love who we love, right?_ Bonnie thought. Or maybe her saying that was just an excuse to hide the fact that she just stood there. It wasn't like her to stand there. Bonnie never picked and chose who she wanted to sympathize with, because it was engraved in her nature. Almost like an epigraph on a headstone.

She took a deep breath to fight back tears. Too many things were hitting her right now. Kai's on the loose, she's changing and feeling like she's losing a familiar part of herself. She knew this would happen, right when she returned back from 1994, that she wouldn't be the same person. It always felt… _right_. But a completely different person? This was not what she pictured.

And then there's the man named Damon, who Bonnie decidedly put her trust in and now that trust was beginning to cement.

A tear rolled down her cheek and onto her lip. Her eyes shut tight. Kai's probably gone now, somewhere in Mystic Falls hurting someone.

_Suck it up, Bonnie_, she tells herself.

Bonnie closed her eyes in the dark living room. She opened them, and candles lit up her soft skin. Matt smiled, looking at Sarah. And she was in shock, sitting in between the two on Matt's sofa.

"That… was way sick than anything I've ever seen," Sarah says, her eyes wide in amazement. "And I've seen some sick shit, so."

They dropped Jeremy off at the Salvatore mansion after an awkward ride home. It wasn't awkward for Bonnie though. For Matt, Sarah, and Jeremy it was. They'd just stopped arguing outside the Fell estate, and in the end, Jeremy was alone. Bonnie stared out the window and into the limitless space in capacity of a trillion stars, and an image of Damon's content smile appeared in her mind. He thrusts his arm into the air, holding his bourbon, and it stops in the middle of a full moon in the sky. A night in 1994 she'll likely never forget. A night this ride home let her reminisce.

Later, Bonnie opened the window in Matt's house. The blue fabric flying up, letting the moon illuminate the living room. She turned around and sees him in the kitchen, staring blankly at a piece of paper in the lowly lit room.

As the breeze cooled the room, Bonnie sat on the sofa and let a deep breath out through her nose. She looked on the glass table in front of her and saw some photos of several people. She looks back, seeing Sarah hovering over Matt with a mug in her hand, and Bonnie sifts through the photographs.

They were photos of people hanging around in the country. Then, Bonnie saw one of Caroline and her mom having a picnic. Bonnie's eyes went wide. She saw another with Enzo. Elena, Stefan, and Damon. Bonnie looked back again and saw Sarah walking up with another mug. She turned back around and dropped the photos quickly, pretending she didn't see what she saw.

Sarah handed a mug of hot chocolate to Bonnie and she took it politely, offering a smile. Sarah took a swig of hers and sighed, resting the mug between her thighs.

"So, you died?" Sarah asked Bonnie. It shouldn't have, because it feels as if everyone knows, but the question caught Bonnie off guard.

"Yeah…" The words passed through her lips like a whisper. Her eyes were unmoved from the photos on the table. Sarah thought Bonnie was just out of it, but Bonnie wasn't. Bonnie wanted to know what was up with the photos.

"It must suck to be Jeremy," Sarah mentions, "Rejected by his ex, betrayed by his girl, and backstabbed by his friend. All in one day."

"Does Damon know who you are?" The question burst through Bonnie's mouth like an igniting flame, quick with a spark. Sarah sucked in a breath.

"No," She replied.

"Stefan?" Bonnie's eyes narrowed as the question left her mouth.

"No. I'm still thinking of the right time to meet them." Bonnie nods. "My mother was apparently killed during labor and my dad… well, Matt told me what happen."

"How long ago was this?"

"I was born in 1994." Sarah turns to face Bonnie, whose bottom lip drops from her top. The one thing that brought Damon so much guilt, and pain, and regret— is a walking, talking reflection of it. Gale's daughter.

Bonnie's jaw sucked in as she thought about telling Sarah who her mother was. Or, how she died. Bonnie's eyes swiftly moved back to Sarah, and that cunning foxlike look, devious if anything, was gone. There, Bonnie noticed a girl who looked lost and alone. She looked vulnerable and not in the least bit confident, but was it true? Was it honest, or was this girl just a trickster? Bonnie couldn't answer that, but she did know the girl looked genuine.

Bonnie kept thinking about it. She had photos of Stefan and Damon, or Matt did, but Bonnie figured maybe she knows more than she is letting on.

Bonnie heard a beep and Sarah pulled out her phone.

"Matt…" Sarah announced, staring at her phone and standing up. "It's time."

Matt walked into the living room, stuffing his hands into his pocket and looking at Bonnie with those moody blue eyes. Bonnie stood just as she saw him downcast.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked. She hoped it'd be about the photos, because sooner or later she was just going to ask him what his plans were. Matt's eyes shot up to Bonnie, then past her to Sarah.

"Well, Matt," Sarah said, "Are you going to tell her?" Matt sighed. "You need to tell her, or I will."

"Alright, Sarah," Matt replied. He huffs, "Look," He walks over to the glass table and picks up the photos. He hands them to Bonnie and she keeps her stare locked on him while she shuffled them in her hands. She already seen them, but she pretended like she hadn't.

Matt explains, "Those are the vampires that have been lurking around the border."

Bonnie whips around to Sarah asking, "So, you know Damon and Stefan are vampires?"

Sarah nods. "I'm not going to kill them… yet." Bonnie turns back around to Matt, perplexed. Sarah chuckles, "I'm kidding."

Bonnie rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to believe anything you say, from now on," Bonnie tells her, still facing Matt.

"Well, actions do speak louder than words, right?" Sarah responds.

_What the fuck is that supposed to mean_? Bonnie thinks. She sighs.

"Matt, there's more to the story," Sarah said, pushing Matt to go on.

"We're keeping Mystic Falls safe—"

Bonnie cuts Matt off, saying "By killing vampires outside of the border? And your friends?"

"They are not my friends, anymore!" Matt yells, his finger pointing towards the ground.

Bonnie shook her head and sat back down on the sofa. There was no way to relieve Matt of this. He planted a seed inside himself, a seed that's developing into a deep hatred of vampires. From what Bonnie understands, he's turning into Tripp. No surprise that he's been promoted to leader of the community protection group.

Sarah steps in between the two. "Okay, cool it with the emotions guys. It's not that serious."

"It's not that serious?" Bonnie replies, "Those are our friends!"

"Look, we're not going to kill your friends. Okay, Bonnie?" Sarah says. "But, Matt we just got an alert on a vampire. Lurking around the border."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Matt said.

Bonnie went along with them to prevent Matt from doing something stupid. Sarah too, who only proved to be unpredictable. Matt also agreed to help Bonnie locate Kai, if she came along to see what they were all about.

Bonnie stood over Matt, breathless, as she watched him stake a vampire nine times in the heart. And once, in their neck. "Go for the jugular," Matt would say, "They'd go for ours." Bonnie's flashlight shined on the vampire's split chest, which looked like an animal had torn it open, only to extricate the heart. Bonnie turned her head. It was hard to stomach. Even more so than Matt's ravenous killing of the vampire.

There were two more people with them. Bonnie flashed her light on Greg, who had a tight grin across his face. Then to Leech and the blood droplets spotted on his face. Sarah was checking her phone, probably getting more alerts. When she moved the light to Matt, she became afraid. The look in Matt's face was scarily surprising. His mouth hung open in satisfaction and his brow was furrowed in greed. Another realization for Bonnie that change was imminent not only in her, but for those around her also.

Matt stood up and fixed his gaze on Bonnie, steadying his breath and licking his bottom lip. Bonnie's flashlight moved to his hands, wrapped tightly around the stake covered in blood. He put it in his back pocket and walked towards Bonnie.

"Let's keep going," Matt said, leading the group. Bonnie blinks her shocked eyes as Sarah and the others followed Matt, brushing past her. She suddenly found herself not wanting to go, but she took a step.

Catching up with Matt, she says, "This is what you do?"

"I protect my town. Just like you used to, Bonnie."

"The town is already protected with this stupid magic border!"

"It's not with Kai running around in there, is it? Why don't you go find him if you don't want to be here."

"Matt, I'm here because you asked me to come." It was dark, so it wasn't easy to see what Matt's expression was. Bonnie imagined he was swallowing Bonnie's words with necessity. He didn't want to hear it, but it was necessary for him. "And I'm not…" Bonnie's voice lowered, to almost a whisper, "I'm not going to leave you here with them."

All Matt and Bonnie heard in the darkness was the footsteps of the others crunching the fallen leaves on the freezing ground. Matt's arms thrust up to her, then back down. He nervously reached for his cheek, then walked away.

Bonnie didn't see this, but saw as he marched away. She looked up, then started following him.

"Northeast border of Mystic Falls…" Sarah announced to the group. They'd met up with three more people of the community group who didn't seem as sadistic as the others have so far. They balanced the group out, though bringing an arsenal of weapons against vampires, handing them out to the others.

Sarah continued reading from her phone, "…two vampires are located doing suspicious activities. Trying to breach the border." She looks up at the rest of the group and smiles. "Keep a look out, guys. We might meet up with them before we get there."

As they continued trekking on the outside of the border, the group prepared themselves for the vampires. They readied their guns, sharpened their stakes, and strapped plenty of vervain grenades along their waist belt.

Bonnie feels an arm brush alongside hers and she looks over to see Matt, looking tall and uneasy. Her eyes creased at the sight as Matt hands her a stake. Bonnie looks down and the corner of her mouth curls a smile.

"Matt, I'm a witch. I don't need that," Bonnie said.

"I know," Matt said, dropping his head and putting the stake away, "I just want you to know I consider you a part of this… That's why I asked you to come. You're the balance Bonnie. Between good and evil… whether you want to see it that way or not. And, honestly, that's what I want us to be." Matt's eyes looked around at his companions. "Do you think what I'm doing is bad?"

"Maybe the way you're going about it, so black and white... I do think you're in a bad place. Like me." Bonnie smiles, her green eyes calm, and it rubs onto Matt, the corners of his mouth stretching in the tiniest movement.

"Bonnie?" Bonnie looks up, just as she heard the other community protection members point their guns up, "_Matt?_"

It was Damon. He was standing in front of Caroline, feet spread shoulder to shoulder, with books laying around and about. Bonnie's gasped through a smile and locked eyes with the Damon. He was suave as his eyes averted down in a split second, then back up to her majestic eyes, intriguing in every movement.

"Bonnie!" Caroline squeals, and Bonnie breaks her lock with Damon. Caroline starts to run towards her but Sarah steps up, pointing a gun at Caroline.

"Not another step. Caroline, is it?" Sarah questions. Matt leaves Bonnie's side, his eyes glaring in Caroline and Damon's direction. He stands next to Sarah, a crossbow at his side.

"How do you know me?" Caroline asks and she shifts her gaze to Bonnie, wondering just what the hell she was doing.

"Matt's told me quite a bit, especially about the time you almost killed him…" Sarah replied. Caroline glared eyes at Matt, feeling betrayed as she pressed her lips together.

"Matt? What're you doing?" Caroline asked him.

Matt didn't look her in the eyes. He stared at the green blades inches from the ground and replied, "Shut up, Caroline." Caroline speaks again but Matt cuts her off, this time with his eyes lifted from the ground and aimed through the crossbow's scope: "Shut UP!"

Bonnie stormed forward, "They're my friends! So, you let them go." She stops in between the two groups. Damon stares violently at Matt and Sarah. Caroline presents mellowed eyes to Matt, hoping to breach his cold and livid exterior. The wind whistles and Bonnie speaks again, "Matt. This is not keeping the balance."

Bonnie's words were heard, but Matt still burned his gaze into Caroline's face. Then, he turned to look at Sarah and let out a sigh. "We have to leave them alone."

"No!" Sarah said frustrated.

"Please, Sarah," Matt pleaded. He cut his eyes to Caroline and his face twisted into rage. "But not for them. For Bonnie."

"Fine. Five minutes or we're coming back to get them," Sarah whipped around and started walking away. She then stopped, turning back around. "We got to stop meeting like this, Damon." She smirked and turned around, leading the group away.

Matt touches Bonnie on her forearm, "I'll call you," He said before catching up with his team.

Damon started to chase them when Bonnie stopped him.

"You'll regret it. Trust me," She tells him. Damon moved his eyes to hers and he nods, his mouth agape.

"You okay?" He asks.

"Yeah." It was nice. To see him. She hesitated, but lifted her head up to the night sky. The dark violet blanket covering the sky, with stars brightening it up from corner to corner. Damon doesn't move at first. He just loved her reaction to it all. The night sky was beautiful, and it was never the same, never dull in its moments. It's what most people didn't know about Bonnie that he did… she was like the night sky. She was beautiful. And she was never dull in her moments.

His head finally raised and his eyes connected to the night sky also. Damon's arms felt wobbly, like jello, and his fingers inched towards Bonnie's. He wrapped a finger around hers and she smiles, just as an image pops in her head of a black crow and a purple butterfly, flying through a cemetery. It happened only for a second, and Bonnie trembled back, gasping.

"What?" Damon asked. Bonnie didn't even know. It didn't feel dangerous or frightening though.

They hear a deep breath leaving Caroline. Then another. She collapses to the ground and covers her face. Bonnie runs over to her, rubbing her back, rolling her lips back as she heard Caroline's sobs.

"Bonnie…" Caroline tries to talk through tears, her voice breaking, "If you weren't there, he would have killed me."

Bonnie turned around to look at Damon. She wanted to disagree with her, but she couldn't. Bonnie saw a different Matt on this night. The look in his eyes… there would have been no remorse. No matter who he staked.

"That girl," Damon asks, crouching next to Bonnie, "Who is she? Master manipulator?"

"That's Sarah," Bonnie replied, contemplating if she should tell Damon about her or not. The truth. It was hard not to. He had a way of forcing it out of her, with just a look, or a smirk, or some poetic statement he'd randomly formed in his head.

"She's your relative, Damon," Bonnie reveals. At first, Damon is shocked. It's as if he knows something more, or had an odd feeling. Then his face shifted. He closes his mouth and shakes his head. No sign of shock on his face.

"That's ridiculous. You know that, right?"

Bonnie didn't say anything. She just looked at him, then back to Caroline. He dropped his gaze from her and stared at the ground. His eyes twitched to narrow, then he looked back up at her.

_She's right_, he thinks watching her soft eyes close as she consoles Caroline, _She's right_.


	6. Wait

**Thanks for reading guys, and thanks for the reviews! They're very helpful and I appreciate it! **

"I think I'm going to call it a night," Bonnie whispers, taking a look at Caroline as she walked up the steps to her dorm. Damon rounded the car, resting his hip against the side and staring at her. Every time, _every time_, his eyes lock to hers he finds himself in captivation. His nerves reach out into every part of his body and he can't look away.

She waited for him to reply or nod, but he just looked at her. She folded her arms and looked down nervously, pressing her butt against the car door.

Damon lets out a throaty hum, signifying that he at least heard her. Bonnie looks up at the cryptic smile upon his enigmatic face. One of these days she'll be able to decode why his stare pulls her in like a magnet, but until then she can enjoy the mystifying gaze that evokes her nerves.

He digs into his back pocket and pulls out a note. Before handing it to her, he looks at it and his thin lips move across his face. He nods, taking a couple steps towards her before raising his deep blue eyes to hers.

The note slid between Bonnie's thumb and index finger, and for a moment the both of them held it at the same time.

"I wrote it for you. Elena told me you were leaving, and I got this feeling…" That last word left Damon's mouth like an echo in a dark cave, at least that's what it sounded like in his mind, as he's drawn in by her provoking gaze.

Bonnie waited. His lips were parted, a thoughtful look in his creasing brow. She figured maybe he had more to say. Damon cleared his throat after a pause and released his fingers from the note. Bonnie's eyes dropped to the note.

She was taken by surprise. Damon wrote her a note, and as she palmed it in her fist she wondered what it would say.

"Now, Bonnie," Damon started, "Don't be a stranger. Even if you do leave, don't forget about us."

Damon walks back to the driver's side just as Bonnie replies, "I won't." She purses her lips after that and his eyes avert to the roof of the car, the littlest movement at the corner of his mouth. His eyes shot up one last time to her before opening the car door and getting inside.

Bonnie found herself staring at the exact spot he was fixated on until the engine revving broke her out of that zone. Her toes press back to step away as Damon pulls off, and Bonnie watches the car speed off. She didn't think to look away until his car was out of her view, and even then she still stood there admiring the dense fog draped lightly over the road, and blinking softly as the smoke from his car meshed with the fog of the night.

She turned towards the dorm and felt the note in her palm. A smile began to grow from cheek to cheek as the little voice in her head led her to believe that this note would be the highlight to her night. It was a horrible day, and in the midst of all this chaos and pain, here is something that could make moving through the day worth it.

Bonnie walks into her dorm, freezing at the sight of Caroline and Elena sitting on Caroline's bed. The two were on opposite ends of the bed. Their faces were empty; especially Caroline's, whose eyes scattered the room in search of an answer. Elena's eyes, Bonnie thought, were filled more with pity than sympathy. Though, when Bonnie entered, and Caroline and Elena shifted their heads to her, Elena's brows furrowed into a helplessness.

Caroline's eyes were swollen, and she had a disheartened look on her face. Bonnie's shoulders relaxed seeing them together. It reminded her of a simpler time. She blinked the tears and the memories away and strutted to her friends. She missed them. This replayed in her mind several times, like a broken record, and Bonnie didn't even realize when she was jogging towards them.

Caroline couldn't hold it anymore. She exhaled, beginning to cry again, and she looked at both Bonnie and Elena. Bonnie's breaths became labored as Caroline's shoulders started to shake and her blonde curls dropped over her head as she bent over.

Bonnie forced herself into the bed next to Caroline and rubbed her back to console her, then, as she looked at Elena flashing her a kind smile, she grips onto Caroline's arm and rubs it. Caroline continues to cry and Bonnie reaches a hand to Elena. Bonnie may have wanted things to end between her and Elena, but maybe it was only temporary.

Elena grabs her hand and after her eyes ease in Bonnie's gaze, she rests her head down on the right side of the bed. Bonnie leans her head back. She's not ready to jump back into things with Elena, but being with her now and with Caroline. With everything that's happening with Matt… She can see them being good in the future. It wasn't going to be an easy thing to fix but… it was worth it to try. Bonnie had hope that maybe, while sucking in a breath, shutting her eyelids, she had hope that maybe it was worth a try.

The three of them stayed in each other's grasp. Elena and Bonnie laid with Caroline until she stopped sobbing. It was quiet when she stopped. Bonnie knew, comforting her that Caroline may have still been crying. Elena tightened her grasp of Bonnie's hand and Caroline rose. She sighed, still looking lost. Empty. Bonnie's mouth curled into a frown as she met Caroline's look.

"You okay?" Bonnie asked. Caroline didn't say anything at first. She stared at Bonnie, then cut her eyes to the door as her lips parted.

"I will be," Caroline replied. She scooted back and snuggled up close to Bonnie, sniffling, then resting her head on Bonnie's shoulders.

It was almost three am. Bonnie had just gotten into her bed while Caroline and Elena fell asleep in theirs.

She was so tired, unfolding the note Damon had gotten her. She turned her lamp on, the light reflecting off of her astonished emerald eyes. Her mouth opens wide in shock. There were scribbles and erase marks beginning this, written in cursive manner, letter that begins with _Dear Bonnie_.

Bonnie bit the inside of her jaw lightly and peered up at Caroline and Elena, who were sound sleep. She looks back down at the note and starts reading:

_I don't really know what to say. And, I don't know why I'm writing this. I just am. I've attempted many different forms of communication, but I can't reach you. A written note would do the trick. I hope. I'm in a library. Surrounded by frat boys in a last minute attempt to study. Do you know how pathetic that is? I never got college. Just another way to be chained to something. Bound, but in the most unnatural ways. I'm talking too much. Are you dodging me, Bennett? Yes, goodbyes are awkward and upsetting and sometimes one of the most difficult things to do in life. But you know that, don't you, Bonnie? I do however think it necessary, especially when two people are friends, and they care so much to bicker with each other, and would move mountains and build bridges for one another. It's very necessary, but I don't think you wouldn't have told me. It's just difficult to know you want to leave, when you just got back. We just got you back. I guess I thought I could do some impressionable convincing. But this letter fell flat. If you didn't get my voicemail, to sum it simply, I miss you. And I'd like you to stay here fighting the good fight with me. You make me feel good about myself, and I'd like to try to do the same for you. If you stayed, Bon. But, honestly, you don't deserve to be denied honest things. I mean it. So, if you want to leave, I'll respect that. You are bigger than all of this, Bonnie. I think you always were. Just know, we'll always have these…_

Bonnie looked down further to see a picture Damon drew of vampire pancakes. She shook her head, blinking away her emotions, saying: "I hate those," She laughs to try and stop herself from tearing up.

The letter ends with: _See you later, Bonnie. _

Bonnie's eyes fill with water. Her mouth opens to speak, but she just whimpers. She covers her mouth with her hand, glancing at her friends as they let the night take them.

It wouldn't take Bonnie. It wasn't possible. She removes the covers from over her and walks into the foggy light shining through the window. Her eyes squint as her face enters the light, then she relaxes when a thought enters her mind. And her green eyes become more luminous, more wide and certain on each step she takes towards the window.

She looks down at the note in her hand, then back up through the window. She imagines herself with Damon on tonight and the thoughtful look dissipated from her face. Bonnie didn't want the night to take her. She wasn't ready to fall asleep. She wanted to change the night. And she wanted to do it with Damon.

She stepped back and spun around, walking quickly to her bed. Tossing the note on her bed, she picked up her phone and looked through her contacts. She stopped at Damon's name and looked at the time. 11:46.

She just wanted to imagine that time was stopped. She dialed his number and remembered just how long the days were in 1994… with and without Damon. With him, the days were long, but they were never exhaustive. They weren't stunted and bleak and sluggish.

"Hello?" She says as the phone stopped ringing, and thinking of how passionate the letter was. How it helped her realize that she wasn't the only person that knew her faults. But Damon did too.

"Hello. Hey Bon, what's up?" Damon replied in a breathless tone. She smiled at his voice and she smiled at his kindness and his unexpected benevolence of now and then, and even, maybe even the future. The letter had a part in this and his unparalleled handwriting, but all the while these sudden feelings were taking control. She smiled so brightly that she thought he could see it through the phone. "Bonnie…?"

"Turn around," Bonnie blurted. She swallowed. She didn't understand this feeling… this feeling that forced her to… _feel_.

"Why?" Damon answered before taking a beat.

"I think…" Bonnie stopped. It was the first time in a long time she spoke before she thought, and she had to stop herself. What was she going to say? "I think we should look for Kai."

"I can't get into Mystic Falls, Bonnie. Caroline and I tried."

"Then, we'll search the outskirts of our town. And we'll find a way in. I promise."

"I'll be there."

"You left me a voicemail?" Bonnie asks, her feet propped up against the dashboard. Her face turned to Damon's with a half-smile. He flashes her a look, before focusing back on the road.

"I did," He said, taking another look at her face. His lips parted as he met her glistening eyes and he sucked in a breath. Driving with one hand, he gripped the steering wheel and trained his eyes back onto the road.

_She's doing that thing again, _he thinks._ That thing with her eyes_.

Damon continues, "It's probably lost among all of Jeremy's. He told me he left you a lot."

Bonnie turned her gaze towards window, her fingers intertwining on her stomach. "He did?"

Damon nods. "Yeah. He also told me that you hated me?" Damon lets a breath out and looks on incredulously at the empty road ahead. "Is this true?"

Bonnie shakes her head. "No," She says under her breath, feeling nervous. Damon takes a glance at her. He could tell she had more to say.

"Bonnie—" He started to speak. He wanted to help her. He knew how hard this was for her. Everything felt natural and uncomfortable at the same time, and he knew how to deal with it. A little. Though, did she?

"I wouldn't be here," Bonnie cuts him off. She shifts her whole body to face him and repeats, drawing it out, "I wouldn't be here. Damon, I wouldn't be here in this car with you if I hated you."

And there she goes again. Stopping herself to recollect her thoughts to form a comprehensive and conscientious thought to speak from. Damon shakes his head and the car begins to slow.

Bonnie sighs and a straining look crosses over her face. Damon pulls the car to the side of the road and parks it. He turns to face her, making sure to give her all the attention in the world, because he believed she deserved it. She deserves the attention that every person wants at one point in their life, and Damon believes that this is her time.

"What is it?" He asks in a deserving tone. His eyes search her gentle face, oddly filled with tension.

"I just feel like… I'm not normal anymore," Her voice begins to break and her cheeks flush red as her vulnerability takes hold of her. She turns to face forward.

"Bonnie." Damon says.

"I know I'm a witch and that will never constitute as normal. But… there was a time where I felt that. When I was anchor I was some kind of human! I was some kind of normal and I just want that again."

She turns to look at Damon, who is now facing forward himself. Bonnie noticed his brow furrowed and his mouth agape and he was in a daze of profound thought.

"Maybe," He began to say, "Maybe normal isn't completely and humanly black and white… maybe it's the knowledge that normal is…" Damon turns to face Bonnie, getting unknowingly and intimately close to her, the center console the only thing separating them. "…subjective. It's our faith. It's what we believe to be."

Bonnie eyes looked down at his lips, and for an instant, she felt her body inch closer to him. The product of some euphoric effect entering her body.

"You want to know what my normal is?" Damon asks.

Barely a mumble, Bonnie responds, "Yeah."

"My normal," Damon begins, not removing his eyes from hers, "is being who I am and surrounding myself with people that garner that in me."

He looks down at her lips, then his fingers raise to her temple. Bonnie turns her head towards his hand and looks down. His finger traces down her face as she faces him again, and he holds onto her chin with his thumb and index finger.

Damon could hear her heart want to beat out of her chest and that made him smile big. She smiles too, seeing his. His fingers let go of her chin and he leans back against the door.

He stares at her. A wry smile on his face as his tongue grazes his lips. Bonnie chuckles and sits back to. Suddenly, for the both of them, the atmosphere was relaxed.

As the night went on, Bonnie and Damon forgot the reason they were out here. They were laughing, shoulders bouncing, and just enjoying this time with each other. And Bonnie did what she wanted. She sat in the moonlit Camaro, cheesing, listening to Damon's lame attempt at an impromptu story, and she thought about the night. It didn't have her, but it was the reverse. She gained control and she did with Damon.

Their laughter died down and Bonnie checks her phone.

"One 'o clock in the morning!" Bonnie exclaimed. Her wide eyes averted to Damon. "Okay, what were we supposed to be doing?" She starts laughing again and hangs her head down. Damon's eyes crinkled as he watched her, filled with laughter and exuberance. Youth. It was a moment he'd seen several times and a moment he'd never forget. She looked back up at him, covering her mouth, trying to stop herself from laughing.

His lips begin to part, but his teeth stayed clenched, and the corners of his mouth grew at the joy she was bringing herself. And also, the joy she was bringing him.

"Oh!" Bonnie remembers. "Fucking Kai!" She said through clenched teeth. "We got to find him. There's something mysterious going on between him and me. We got to find him."

Damon's head jerks back in disbelief. "Alright. You're not sleepy?"

"No, but are we here?" Bonnie begins to look outside of her window.

"Yeah, but I want to show you something first."

Damon put his leather jacket around Bonnie as they walked through the dark woods. Bonnie shrugged it off.

"Seriously?" Damon said to her.

"Did I ask for your jacket?" Bonnie asks, stepping over an uprooted tree root.

"Well, you're shivering. So, I thought—"

"I'm not shivering."

"Fine!" Damon replies and throws his jacket back on. She throws him a look and smiles.

"That was nice of you, though."

"I know."

The both of them stop as they hear something. Damon whips around, but doesn't see anything.

"You heard that, right?" Damon asks, looking around at the area that they've walked already. Bonnie nods, taking a step forward. Her nose flares as she prepares herself for a surprise attack.

"Yeah," Bonnie replies. The wind brushes past them leaving a cold chill, and Damon's head moves to the side.

"Do you think it's that girl? They still out here?" Damon asks. _That girl_, Damon thought as his eyes glanced at a tree.

"You mean your relative?" Bonnie questions. She turns around and looks at Damon. A calmness was expressed on her face as she stared at the back of his head.

Damon refrained from meeting her look. He just faced forward, thinking he saw something. His eyes creased as he took a step forward, focusing his eyes on the distance.

When Bonnie told him about Sarah, he wanted to find Stefan and ask him about their relative.

Bonnie itches the top of her brow and says, "She's your niece, Damon."

Immediately, his face in constraint, Damon replies, "But how?"

As if Bonnie anticipated this answer, she quickly retorted, "You know how."

Damon stood there in confusion. His head moved to the left slowly, and it rocked a little in Bonnie's view, then it moved to the right. Bonnie jogged up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder and standing next to him.

"I don't think anyone's out here," Bonnie tells him with a smile. "It was probably just the wind."

"Yeah," Damon agrees, turning to face her.

"What was it you wanted to show me?" Bonnie asked, attempting to deter the conversation from Sarah. For some reason, he wasn't ready to accept that yet. But Bonnie knew, and Damon did too, that he didn't have much time either.

"Come on," Damon urges Bonnie to follow him.


	7. Leave It Alone

Bonnie puts her hands under her arms as the wind picks up. She stood over Damon with a flashlight as he, with piles and piles of books in front of him, looked for the key to getting inside of Mystic Falls.

"Do you need any help?" Bonnie asked, cocking her head to the side and getting bored. She hadn't known what Damon wanted to show her, but she did hope it would be something more gratifying than this. "You're not missing much, you know?" Bonnie begins to explain, "The town's only more safe and secure from vampires and other supernatural baddies."

Damon stops what he's doing and looks up at the sky, his eyes slowly rolling to where Bonnie stands. "It's my home, Bonnie. And I want to go home!" His voice was playful, which sparked something virulent inside of Bonnie.

"A home you turned into a feeding ground for yourself." Damon stood. Bonnie's words stung as he turned to face her.

"Are you serious?" Damon asked, his voice low.

"I'm just saying. Maybe it's not such a good idea. And with those hunters…" Bonnie's voice trails off. Her eyes shift to the side of her. "Did you hear that?"

Damon stares at her, feeling himself fleeting. He blinks himself back into the real world and looks just over her head.

"I don't see anything. Let's just get back to this," He nods his head to the side. Bonnie meets his eyes, determined but dark. She looks past him to the books and flashes the light on them.

"Alright. Where were we?"

A half-smile grows on Damon's face when he turned around. He crouches back down and skims through the books again.

"I had a place where I found some traction…" Damon says to himself, barely audible to Bonnie who sighs slumping her shoulders.

Her brow begins to furrow. Damon throws his hands up as the light moves from the books. He's annoyed as he turns around and stands, seeing Bonnie looking into the dark, empty forest. His nose crinkles and he starts to speak when he hears the sound of leaves crunching.

"Now you hear that?" Bonnie says.

"Oh… yeah…" He replies. "You look over there."

Bonnie steps away, cautiously, using her flashlight to guide her. It moves along the still patches of green grass and Autumn leaves. Bonnie turns around to look at Damon, but with his all black attire it's hard for her to see where he is. He can handle himself anyway, she doesn't need to check up on him. Although, as she looks forward again she has the sudden urge to look back. Like a million nerves are moving through her body and it wouldn't stop unless she turned to face him.

She swallows. One last look. She sees his pale face amidst the darkness, a startling contrast. Though, a smile spreads on her face a little. And she turns back around, hearing only the sound of leaves meeting the bottom of her shoe.

"You finding anything?" Damon yells loud enough for her to hear.

"No. But there's something here… I can feel it." She stops walking. Her face turns slowly and she observes the environment around her. A look of confidence crossed her face as the wind whistled. She stood there for a moment then took a step to her left, and then another until she was running in that direction. She heard Damon calling her name but she kept running.

She gasps, her mouth wide open in shock. She closes it immediately as her eyes avert to a tree then back on the malevolent face of Kai. That tiny, aggravating smirk on his face sent a chill through Bonnie's bones. Laughter erupted from her face.

"Oh my god," She says to him through an insincere smile. She continues to laugh as Damon flashes to the side of her, holding onto her. He looks up and sees Kai waving at him with his skinny, little fingers.

"Damon, buddy!" Kai says. Damon groans, grinding his teeth and charging towards Kai. They flash away and Bonnie looks around to see where they went.

"Don't hurt him, Damon!" Bonnie yells and she starts sprinting to find them. She hears Damon's voice and runs towards it. Not too far away, Damon is pinning Kai up against the tree. Bonnie shakes her head as her tongue glides over her bottom lip. A breath leaves her mouth as she jogs towards them.

"Don't worry, Bon-Bon! I won't hurt him!" Damon speaks through his teeth as he glares at a smiling Kai. "You think this is funny? Let's see if this is."

"Damon…" Bonnie hums in a cautious voice. Kai croaks as Damon's fist lunges into his heart. He feels Damon's fingernails pierce his heart like needles. He chokes. Blood pulses up his throat and forces itself out of his mouth.

Bonnie bites her lip. She stares at the two, glaring, and hoping that Damon doesn't do anything stupid. Hasn't he learned anything from her?

She takes another step, then a panicked breath pushes from her mouth. She clutches her heart and her eyes shut do to the immense pressure coming from her chest. Blood spills from the open wound on her chest and she looks up at Kai. Their eyes meet and Bonnie's face constricts with anger. Kai's mouth drops through the pain, as he starts connecting the pieces to this puzzle.

Then, he starts chuckling, to Damon's dismay.

"You still think this is funny, huh?" Damon tells him and he pushes his fingers further into his heart.

"DAMON!" Bonnie pushes out of her mouth and then she passes out. Damon turns around, seeing the blood pumping from her heart and onto the cold, hard ground. Kai's unconscious body drops to ground with a thud as Damon raced to Bonnie, pulling her head into his arms.

"Bonnie…" Damon pleads. "No, no, no, no, no…" He repeats it, begging her to breathe again as he presses his wrist to his lips. His fangs elongate and sink into his skin, warm blood bursts through his wrists and he calmly presses it against Bonnie's lifeless lips.

"Come on, Bonnie…" He sits patiently awhile, feeding her his blood. And hoping he didn't kill her. A part of him knew Bonnie was strong and that she could get through this. And that his blood would find some part of her worth saving. He hoped that the universe, with this night spent with her, with someone he would overtly call his best friend, wouldn't take all of this away. Just because he wouldn't listen to her.

He slams his fist into the ground, his knuckles breaking at impact. "Damn it, why don't I just listen!"

He removes his wrist. Specks of blood was smeared around her lips. He cups her face in his hands and stares deeply at her, waiting for an eyelid to lift. He wanted so badly to shake her but he didn't want to hurt her any more than he already has. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

She opens her eyes and Damon's eyes grow wide in surprise. He presses her head against his chest and cradles her. His mouth was open in shock and slowly the shock turned to a smile. To a happiness, as he heard her mumble his name. He pulls her away from his chest and looks down at her dazed eyes. He analyzed her, looking at her like he'd saw his whole life ahead of him… and it looked so promising.

"Kai… We can't let him get away," Bonnie begins to sit up on her own, struggling.

"Hey, hey, hey," Damon says, bringing his thumb and finger to her chin, "He's not going anywhere."

When Damon touched her, she felt it again. That euphoric feeling, and as much as a part of her wanted to let it in, she pushed it out of her mind. Lifting her hand up, she pushed his hand away too. Damon swallowed and looked elsewhere.

"Do you remember what happen?" He asked her as she sat up. She nods.

"That's why he's been following me. He can't get away from me… we're connected."

Damon, upon hearing that, found it hard to internalize. Kai and Bonnie are linked. Like each other's life force. A tether for one another.

"Literally." He replies, a hint of disgust in his tone.


End file.
